Human Development Optimism and Political Pitfalls in Ethiopia

© 2018, © 2018 Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). Guided by a freedom-based assessment of human development, this paper questions the compatibility of knowledge economy optimism and the authoritarian political order that prevailed in Ethiopia since the mid-2000s. It shows how the knowledge economy discourse has played a positive role in widening access to higher education; briefly summarizes assumptions of the ‘developmental state’ orientation endorsed by the ruling elite; and explains why the repressive political order has undermined the nation’s human development agenda. Synthesizing empirical policy accounts and normative arguments, the paper highlights intricate relationships between knowledge, freedom and development. It concludes that both the neoliberal vision of freedom and the developmental state account of democracy do not fully appreciate the importance of substantive freedom as an essence of a democratic political order.