The House of Federation
The practice and limits of federalism in Ethiopia's second federal chamber
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2182403 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tesfa Bihonegn (Dilla University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 394-411 |
| Publication date | 2015-07-03 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Eastern African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1753-1055 • E-ISSN: 1753-1063 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17531055.2015.1082713 |
| OpenAlex | W2292809217 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 20 |
Multiethnic Ethiopia has been “exercising” federalism for the last two decades with unique constitutional and institutional designs. This article deals with House of Federation, the second chamber of the federal parliament, which, in both its composition and competence, hardly shares the attributes that characterize federal chambers elsewhere. While previous studies have focused on its powers of constitutional interpretation, this article attempts to provide a wider picture of the House of Federation by discussing its composition and competences, the constitutional and political underpinnings behind its (unique) design, and associated ramifications and paradoxes. It shows how representing individual groups rather than member states at the federal chamber, though constitutionally justifiable, is practically problematic in light of the powers constitutionally attributed to the House of Federation, which are predominantly regional in their dimensions and implications. With regard to its competences, the article argues, the fact that the House of Federation is non-legislative is not only an indication to the paucity of “shared-rule” in Ethiopia, but also paradoxical in view of the emphasis on group “self-rule” and the guardian powers that the House has in respect to the federal constitutional order. Discussing its considerable arbitration assignments, apart from the widely discussed constitutional interpretation, it demonstrates that Ethiopia's House of Federation is also unusually and predominantly adjudicative
Enumerated powers · Federalism · House of Representatives · Interpretation (philosophy · Law and economics · Legislature · Lower house · Parliament · Political science · Politics · Separation of powers · Sociology · Judicial and Constitutional Studies · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Turkey's Politics and Society
Handbook of Federal Countries, 2005
Comparative Federalism
Identity, Culture and Politics
Ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary Ethiopia
Mechanisms of Constitutional Control
The Paradox of Federalism
Federalization with a Constitutional Guarantee to Secession
Ethnic Federalism
Federalism and Democracy
Ethnic groups in conflict
From Statism To Federalism
A New Look at Federalism
Federal Restructuring in Ethiopia
Models of federal power sharing
New Approaches to State Building in Africa
Overlapping nationalist projects and contested spaces
| Citations per year | 0.57 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2019 - 2026 (8) |
| Highly cited | No |