Multilevel government in South Africa, Ethiopia and Kenya
Abstract
This paper aims to inform policy makers and stakeholders in the
Philippines about the critical features of, and practical experiences
with, federalism and decentralization in South Africa, Kenya and
Ethiopia. The Philippines is currently considering revisions to its
present multilevel structure. Our description of the constitutional
choices and subsequent experiences of these multilevel states provides
an opportunity for reflection on how other countries sought solutions
to the challenges they faced. This paper is also intended to provide
some inspiration to those participating in the current discussions of
constitutional revision in the Philippines.
The emphasis will be on South Africa with smaller remarks about
Kenya and Ethiopia.
The aim of this paper is not to provide a detailed overview of the
system of multilevel government in each of the three countries. Instead,
the paper highlights a number of themes, which may be of relevance
to the debates in the Philippines. It examines how the themes affected
each of the three countries and how each theme was addressed.