Horizontal Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) in Ethiopia: Normative and Empirical Considerations

Horizontal Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) have been paid little attention in many federations, and the practice of governing them through a formal IGR Act is uncommon, although politics of interstate relations directly affect thousands of business firms and millions of citizens. This paper uses the Ethiopian Federation as a case study to explore how interstate relations are governed and practiced. The research used a qualitative approach. The findings illustrate that most interstate relations had faced difficulties in operating and fulfilling their stated missions, with most being inactive. This study suggested that informal interstate agreements have failed to address the substantive issues faced by states in their bilateral relations. The problems with the informal horizontal practice of IGR led to the institutionalization of horizontal IGR forums via the 2021 IGR Law. As this law has yet to be fully operationalized, it is unclear if this experiment in institutionalizing horizontal IGR will succeed.