| Abstract: | Consociationalism is a political arrangement and ideology, gaining
popularity, characterized by acute cultural, religious or linguistic
diversity. Increasingly, federalism is also being conceived not only as an
essential tool, but also an ideal means of managing diversity. Though
federalism and Consociationalism are distinct as ideologies and also in
practical application, they are usually assumed to overlap a great deal. The
overlap gets more pronounced in the context where the federation in
question is culture-based (multi-national or ethnic), and some authors go
even to the extent of making the simultaneous adoption of these two
systems a condition of success. The most salient feature of the current
Ethiopian Federal System design is the adoption of national ethnic-based
groups as building blocks of the federation, and this represents, without
doubt, the recognition of the high diversity level in the nation. Even
though federalism allows all for shared ruling and self regulation,
Consociational mechanisms are said to be a supplement to the scheme that
federalism offers in the context of multinational federations. |
