Tom Lavers
Biographic Data
| ID | 123715 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Tom Lavers |
| GIVEN NAMES | Tom |
| FAMILY NAME | Lavers |
| SIGNATURE | LAVERS T |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Manchester |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0842-4177 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 308 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 21 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 3 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
Revolution and evolution in Ethiopian land tenure
Following the 1975 revolution, Ethiopia conducted a far-reaching land reform establishing a system of state ownership that remains to the present. This appears to justify the common narrative that subsequent governments have maintained the rural land tenure regime established by the revolution. However, this paper shows that rural tenure has changed significantly in the subsequent 50 years. After 1975 farmers held general rights to a share of com…
Dams, Power, and the Politics of Ethiopia's Renaissance
After more than a decade, Ethiopia is filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a controversial dam with the potential to transform the hydrology and politics of the Nile Basin. The GERD is the culmination of a dam-building boom carried out over three decades and a key pillar of the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front’s (EPRDF’s) efforts to bring about an Ethiopian ‘Renaissance’. This book provides the first detailed exami…
Ethiopia's 'Developmental State
Ethiopia stands out as a leading example of state-led development in Africa. Tom Lavers offers in this book a comprehensive, multi-sector analysis of Ethiopia's development project, examining how regimes maintain power during the extended periods required to bring about economic transformation. Specifically, Lavers explores how the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF, 1991-2019) sought to maintain political order through econ…
The Politics of Distributing Social Transfers
This book provides a systematic analysis of the political processes shaping the distribution of social transfers in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In doing so, the book addresses a notable gap in recent research on social protection concerning the politics of implementation. While considerable attention has been devoted to debating the merits of different policy designs and the political factors shaping the adoption and diffu…
Alternative routes to the institutionalisation of social transfers in sub-Saharan Africa
The new phase of social protection expansion in the global south remains poorly understood. Current interpretations of the spread of social transfers in sub-Saharan Africa tend to emphasize the influence of elections and donor pressure, often by drawing correlations from statistical data, and focusing on the moment of programme adoption. This study adopts a different approach that traces the actual process through which countries have not just ad…
Aiming for Universal Health Coverage through insurance in Ethiopia
Many developing countries are considering insurance as a means of pursuing Universal Health Coverage. A key challenge to confront is how to achieve high levels of health insurance enrolment. For voluntary schemes this entails mass awareness raising and promotional activity, though as schemes move to compulsory enrolment, monitoring and enforcement are required. This paper focuses on Ethiopia, which has made state health insurance for the informal…
Covid-19 and the case for global development
The Politics of Social Protection in Eastern and Southern Africa
The notion that social protection should be a key strategy for reducing poverty in developing countries has now been mainstreamed within international development policy and practice. Promoted as an integral dimension of the post-Washington Consensus that emerged around the turn of the new millennium, all major international development agencies and bilateral donors now include a strong focus on social protection in their advocacy and programmati…
The Negotiated Politics of Social Protection in East and Southern Africa
Social assistance programmes proliferated and expanded across much of the global South from the mid-1990s. Within Africa there has been enormous variation in this trend: some governments expanded coverage dramatically while others resisted this. The existing literature on social assistance, or social protection more broadly, offers little in explanation of this variation. Drawing on the literature on political settlements and democratic politics,…
Politics of Social Protection in Eastern and Southern Africa
Towards Universal Health Coverage in Ethiopia's ‘developmental state’? The political drivers of health insurance
With Universal Health Coverage (UHC) now entrenched among the top global development priorities, questions arise as to the conditions under which politicians commit to UHC and why certain strategies for health financing and access are favoured over others. The Ethiopian government has been piloting and scaling-up Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) for the informal sector since 2010 and is establishing Social Health Insurance for formal secto…
Social protection in an aspiring ‘developmental state
Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) is among the largest social protection programmes in Africa and has been promoted as a model for the continent. This article analyses the political drivers of the programme, arguing that elite commitment to the PSNP needs to be understood in the context of shifts within Ethiopia’s political settlement and the government’s evolving development strategy. While food security had long been a priority …
Responding to land-based conflict in Ethiopia
There is a common perception that Ethiopia is unusual in Africa in having a relatively uniform system of state land ownership. While highly influential, state ownership is not the only body of law with implications for land administration. This article argues that the institutionalization of ethnic federalism and the persistence of neo-customary tenure result in considerable ambiguity, particularly regarding the land rights of nonindigenous minor…
Land Registration and Gender Equality in Ethiopia
In recent years, the Ethiopian government has introduced reforms to promote gender equality in land rights, including legislative changes and a land registration programme that requires the names of both husbands and wives on certificates. This paper examines implementation of these reforms through a case-based approach that links national policy processes to analysis of two village-level case studies, based on fieldwork conducted in 2009-10. In …
Understanding elite commitment to social protection
This paper examines the political economy of Rwanda’s Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme, concluding that strong government commitment to the programme has been shaped by the specific characteristics of the political settlement that was established around 2000. For the Rwandan government, the programme has never been just about social transfer, but a key part of the development strategy that aims to promote social stability and the legitimacy of the …
Conceptualising the politics of social protection expansion in low income countries
The growing literature on social protection in low income developing countries has tended to focus on definitional debates, policy design and impact evaluations, with relatively little consideration of the ways in which politics shape policy. This article argues that politics needs to be at the centre of efforts to understand social protection and outlines a new conceptual framework for investigating this, with a particular focus on explaining th…
The impact of agricultural investments on state capacity
Agricultural Investment in Ethiopia
The media discourse on recent agricultural investments - frequently referred to as the 'global land grab' - has been quick to label these deals as 'neo-colonial', implying that these kinds of investments undermine national sovereignty. For the most part, the emerging academic literature on the 'land grab' has not critically examined this assumption. This article draws on the literature on state building and agrarian relations in Africa to constru…
Investigating the Political Economy of Social Protection Expansion in Africa
Food security and social protection in highland Ethiopia
While much recent research has focused on the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP), this is by no means the only social protection policy in rural Ethiopia. Drawing on a very different rationale to the PSNP, the Ethiopian government also justifies state land ownership as a form of social protection for smallholders. This paper examines the links between these policies through a case study of an extremely food-insecure site. The paper concludes …
Patterns of agrarian transformation in Ethiopia
Much of the literature on the 'land grab' has thus far focused on the international drivers of foreign agricultural investment, with far less attention paid to the roles of developing country states and domestic political economy in changing forms of agrarian production. This paper analyses how global and domestic processes combine to produce patterns of agrarian transformation in Ethiopia, one of the main targets of foreign agricultural investme…
Land grab' as development strategy? The political economy of agricultural investment in Ethiopia
This paper examines the domestic political economy of so-called 'land-grabbing' in Ethiopia, assessing the motivations of the Ethiopian government, which has strongly promoted foreign agricultural investment. The paper draws on a unique set of federal and regional databases detailing foreign and domestic investments in Ethiopia to analyse the likely role investment will play in the Ethiopian economy and the areas which have been targeted for inve…
Towards a new poverty agenda in Asia
Reconciling the needs and wants of respondents in two rural Ethiopian communities
Land grab' as development strategy? The political economy of agricultural investment in Ethiopia
This paper examines the domestic political economy of so-called 'land-grabbing' in Ethiopia, assessing the motivations of the Ethiopian government, which has strongly promoted foreign agricultural investment. The paper draws on a unique set of federal and regional databases detailing foreign and domestic investments in Ethiopia to analyse the likely role investment will play in the Ethiopian economy and the areas which have been targeted for inve…
Patterns of agrarian transformation in Ethiopia
Much of the literature on the 'land grab' has thus far focused on the international drivers of foreign agricultural investment, with far less attention paid to the roles of developing country states and domestic political economy in changing forms of agrarian production. This paper analyses how global and domestic processes combine to produce patterns of agrarian transformation in Ethiopia, one of the main targets of foreign agricultural investme…
Covid-19 and the case for global development
Conceptualising the politics of social protection expansion in low income countries
The growing literature on social protection in low income developing countries has tended to focus on definitional debates, policy design and impact evaluations, with relatively little consideration of the ways in which politics shape policy. This article argues that politics needs to be at the centre of efforts to understand social protection and outlines a new conceptual framework for investigating this, with a particular focus on explaining th…
The impact of agricultural investments on state capacity
Alternative routes to the institutionalisation of social transfers in sub-Saharan Africa
The new phase of social protection expansion in the global south remains poorly understood. Current interpretations of the spread of social transfers in sub-Saharan Africa tend to emphasize the influence of elections and donor pressure, often by drawing correlations from statistical data, and focusing on the moment of programme adoption. This study adopts a different approach that traces the actual process through which countries have not just ad…
Ethiopia's 'Developmental State
Ethiopia stands out as a leading example of state-led development in Africa. Tom Lavers offers in this book a comprehensive, multi-sector analysis of Ethiopia's development project, examining how regimes maintain power during the extended periods required to bring about economic transformation. Specifically, Lavers explores how the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF, 1991-2019) sought to maintain political order through econ…
Responding to land-based conflict in Ethiopia
There is a common perception that Ethiopia is unusual in Africa in having a relatively uniform system of state land ownership. While highly influential, state ownership is not the only body of law with implications for land administration. This article argues that the institutionalization of ethnic federalism and the persistence of neo-customary tenure result in considerable ambiguity, particularly regarding the land rights of nonindigenous minor…
Land Registration and Gender Equality in Ethiopia
In recent years, the Ethiopian government has introduced reforms to promote gender equality in land rights, including legislative changes and a land registration programme that requires the names of both husbands and wives on certificates. This paper examines implementation of these reforms through a case-based approach that links national policy processes to analysis of two village-level case studies, based on fieldwork conducted in 2009-10. In …
Social protection in an aspiring ‘developmental state
Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) is among the largest social protection programmes in Africa and has been promoted as a model for the continent. This article analyses the political drivers of the programme, arguing that elite commitment to the PSNP needs to be understood in the context of shifts within Ethiopia’s political settlement and the government’s evolving development strategy. While food security had long been a priority …
Towards Universal Health Coverage in Ethiopia's ‘developmental state’? The political drivers of health insurance
With Universal Health Coverage (UHC) now entrenched among the top global development priorities, questions arise as to the conditions under which politicians commit to UHC and why certain strategies for health financing and access are favoured over others. The Ethiopian government has been piloting and scaling-up Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) for the informal sector since 2010 and is establishing Social Health Insurance for formal secto…
Agricultural Investment in Ethiopia
The media discourse on recent agricultural investments - frequently referred to as the 'global land grab' - has been quick to label these deals as 'neo-colonial', implying that these kinds of investments undermine national sovereignty. For the most part, the emerging academic literature on the 'land grab' has not critically examined this assumption. This article draws on the literature on state building and agrarian relations in Africa to constru…
Food security and social protection in highland Ethiopia
While much recent research has focused on the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP), this is by no means the only social protection policy in rural Ethiopia. Drawing on a very different rationale to the PSNP, the Ethiopian government also justifies state land ownership as a form of social protection for smallholders. This paper examines the links between these policies through a case study of an extremely food-insecure site. The paper concludes …
Reconciling the needs and wants of respondents in two rural Ethiopian communities
Aiming for Universal Health Coverage through insurance in Ethiopia
Many developing countries are considering insurance as a means of pursuing Universal Health Coverage. A key challenge to confront is how to achieve high levels of health insurance enrolment. For voluntary schemes this entails mass awareness raising and promotional activity, though as schemes move to compulsory enrolment, monitoring and enforcement are required. This paper focuses on Ethiopia, which has made state health insurance for the informal…
Reconciling the needs and wants of respondents in two rural Ethiopian communities
Towards a new poverty agenda in Asia
Patterns of agrarian transformation in Ethiopia
Much of the literature on the 'land grab' has thus far focused on the international drivers of foreign agricultural investment, with far less attention paid to the roles of developing country states and domestic political economy in changing forms of agrarian production. This paper analyses how global and domestic processes combine to produce patterns of agrarian transformation in Ethiopia, one of the main targets of foreign agricultural investme…
Land grab' as development strategy? The political economy of agricultural investment in Ethiopia
This paper examines the domestic political economy of so-called 'land-grabbing' in Ethiopia, assessing the motivations of the Ethiopian government, which has strongly promoted foreign agricultural investment. The paper draws on a unique set of federal and regional databases detailing foreign and domestic investments in Ethiopia to analyse the likely role investment will play in the Ethiopian economy and the areas which have been targeted for inve…
Food security and social protection in highland Ethiopia
While much recent research has focused on the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP), this is by no means the only social protection policy in rural Ethiopia. Drawing on a very different rationale to the PSNP, the Ethiopian government also justifies state land ownership as a form of social protection for smallholders. This paper examines the links between these policies through a case study of an extremely food-insecure site. The paper concludes …
Investigating the Political Economy of Social Protection Expansion in Africa
Understanding elite commitment to social protection
This paper examines the political economy of Rwanda’s Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme, concluding that strong government commitment to the programme has been shaped by the specific characteristics of the political settlement that was established around 2000. For the Rwandan government, the programme has never been just about social transfer, but a key part of the development strategy that aims to promote social stability and the legitimacy of the …
Conceptualising the politics of social protection expansion in low income countries
The growing literature on social protection in low income developing countries has tended to focus on definitional debates, policy design and impact evaluations, with relatively little consideration of the ways in which politics shape policy. This article argues that politics needs to be at the centre of efforts to understand social protection and outlines a new conceptual framework for investigating this, with a particular focus on explaining th…
The impact of agricultural investments on state capacity
Agricultural Investment in Ethiopia
The media discourse on recent agricultural investments - frequently referred to as the 'global land grab' - has been quick to label these deals as 'neo-colonial', implying that these kinds of investments undermine national sovereignty. For the most part, the emerging academic literature on the 'land grab' has not critically examined this assumption. This article draws on the literature on state building and agrarian relations in Africa to constru…
Land Registration and Gender Equality in Ethiopia
In recent years, the Ethiopian government has introduced reforms to promote gender equality in land rights, including legislative changes and a land registration programme that requires the names of both husbands and wives on certificates. This paper examines implementation of these reforms through a case-based approach that links national policy processes to analysis of two village-level case studies, based on fieldwork conducted in 2009-10. In …
Responding to land-based conflict in Ethiopia
There is a common perception that Ethiopia is unusual in Africa in having a relatively uniform system of state land ownership. While highly influential, state ownership is not the only body of law with implications for land administration. This article argues that the institutionalization of ethnic federalism and the persistence of neo-customary tenure result in considerable ambiguity, particularly regarding the land rights of nonindigenous minor…
The Politics of Social Protection in Eastern and Southern Africa
The notion that social protection should be a key strategy for reducing poverty in developing countries has now been mainstreamed within international development policy and practice. Promoted as an integral dimension of the post-Washington Consensus that emerged around the turn of the new millennium, all major international development agencies and bilateral donors now include a strong focus on social protection in their advocacy and programmati…
The Negotiated Politics of Social Protection in East and Southern Africa
Social assistance programmes proliferated and expanded across much of the global South from the mid-1990s. Within Africa there has been enormous variation in this trend: some governments expanded coverage dramatically while others resisted this. The existing literature on social assistance, or social protection more broadly, offers little in explanation of this variation. Drawing on the literature on political settlements and democratic politics,…
Politics of Social Protection in Eastern and Southern Africa
Towards Universal Health Coverage in Ethiopia's ‘developmental state’? The political drivers of health insurance
With Universal Health Coverage (UHC) now entrenched among the top global development priorities, questions arise as to the conditions under which politicians commit to UHC and why certain strategies for health financing and access are favoured over others. The Ethiopian government has been piloting and scaling-up Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) for the informal sector since 2010 and is establishing Social Health Insurance for formal secto…
Social protection in an aspiring ‘developmental state
Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) is among the largest social protection programmes in Africa and has been promoted as a model for the continent. This article analyses the political drivers of the programme, arguing that elite commitment to the PSNP needs to be understood in the context of shifts within Ethiopia’s political settlement and the government’s evolving development strategy. While food security had long been a priority …
Covid-19 and the case for global development
Alternative routes to the institutionalisation of social transfers in sub-Saharan Africa
The new phase of social protection expansion in the global south remains poorly understood. Current interpretations of the spread of social transfers in sub-Saharan Africa tend to emphasize the influence of elections and donor pressure, often by drawing correlations from statistical data, and focusing on the moment of programme adoption. This study adopts a different approach that traces the actual process through which countries have not just ad…
Aiming for Universal Health Coverage through insurance in Ethiopia
Many developing countries are considering insurance as a means of pursuing Universal Health Coverage. A key challenge to confront is how to achieve high levels of health insurance enrolment. For voluntary schemes this entails mass awareness raising and promotional activity, though as schemes move to compulsory enrolment, monitoring and enforcement are required. This paper focuses on Ethiopia, which has made state health insurance for the informal…
The Politics of Distributing Social Transfers
This book provides a systematic analysis of the political processes shaping the distribution of social transfers in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In doing so, the book addresses a notable gap in recent research on social protection concerning the politics of implementation. While considerable attention has been devoted to debating the merits of different policy designs and the political factors shaping the adoption and diffu…
Ethiopia's 'Developmental State
Ethiopia stands out as a leading example of state-led development in Africa. Tom Lavers offers in this book a comprehensive, multi-sector analysis of Ethiopia's development project, examining how regimes maintain power during the extended periods required to bring about economic transformation. Specifically, Lavers explores how the Ethiopian Peoples' Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF, 1991-2019) sought to maintain political order through econ…
Dams, Power, and the Politics of Ethiopia's Renaissance
After more than a decade, Ethiopia is filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a controversial dam with the potential to transform the hydrology and politics of the Nile Basin. The GERD is the culmination of a dam-building boom carried out over three decades and a key pillar of the Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front’s (EPRDF’s) efforts to bring about an Ethiopian ‘Renaissance’. This book provides the first detailed exami…
Revolution and evolution in Ethiopian land tenure
Following the 1975 revolution, Ethiopia conducted a far-reaching land reform establishing a system of state ownership that remains to the present. This appears to justify the common narrative that subsequent governments have maintained the rural land tenure regime established by the revolution. However, this paper shows that rural tenure has changed significantly in the subsequent 50 years. After 1975 farmers held general rights to a share of com…
Political science (21 works) · Economics (19 works) · Law (16 works) · Politics (16 works) · Economic growth (13 works) · Geography (11 works) · Political economy (11 works) · Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development (10 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Development economics (8 works)