State and Society in Ethiopia

Abstract

The history of Ethiopia makes it an interesting case for comparative purposes. Three recent edited books that all present perspectives on the Ethiopian state as seen from local perspectives provide interesting material for reflections on state-society relations and democratisation in Africa. By focusing on electoral processes, on centre—periphery relations, and on democratisation understood in a wide sense, respectively, the three books complement each other and are usefully read together. The picture emerging from them is on the one hand a documentation of dramatic transformations and the diversity of local experiences, and on the other hand a critical analysis of the achievements, shortcomings and challenges of the present regime.

Keywords:

• African state
• democratisation
• elections
• state-society
• relations
• Ethiopia