Developmental State in Ethiopia: Myth or Practical?

Ethiopia has endowed with the vast natural resources and deposits of raw minerals. But the country did not achieve the desired economic development of the nation in the past for many years. The key factors for the underdevelopment of the country were believed to be due to poor quality of leadership and the nature of the regime that did not move forward in a proper manner. Thus, after the military government removed from power in 1991, the developmental state that coupled national Renaissance and democratic federalism came into realization under Ethiopian People Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) leadership, so as to transition from a predatory and quasi-failed state to a protective and developmental state. Following this ideology, Ethiopia has witnessed the social and economic progress comparing from the past. But, currently one fifth of its population is stil below poverty. Hence, this study strikes to explore, why a developmental state ideology has not achieved the desired goals of Ethiopia. It also examines the challenges and resolutions to meet the visions of future Ethiopia. Keywords:Developmental State; Democratic Federalism; Poverty;  State led Development; Economic Transformation  and Ethiopia DOI: 10.7176/JESD/11-3-03 Publication date: February 29th 202

Soil Erosion and Protection Mechanism in Ethiopia: The Legal and Practical Assessment of Amhara National Regional State

In the highland areas of Ethiopia, rainfall is more intense and soils are highly erodible due to the relatively shallow depth and low structural stability. The Amhara region, being one part of the highland areas of a country, loss high amount of yield as a result of loss of topsoil each year is increasing substantially. This makes the government due attention to its development and environmental policy on the issue of soil conservation not only necessary, but also a vital concern if the country wants to achieve sustainable development of its agricultural sector and its economy at large. To curb this problem, efforts towards the soil protection were started a decade before. Accordingly, various theoretical and empirical models of soil conservation decisions have been developed be it at the regional, local and farm household level. Thus, in some recent years, the regional government becomes highly motivated to mobilize the public at large and some effective soil conservation activities have been achieved. However, the efforts put towards the promotion of the conservation technologies so far seem to have a little success in achieving sustained use and widespread adoption. This makes the main purpose of this study is, thus, how the law in the book and the law in practice associated with adoption of introduced soil conserving practices and draw conclusions that contribute in the future improvement of the design and implementation of protection programs. Keywords :- Soil Erosion; Soil Protection; Community Participation; Watershed Development; Amhara and Ethiopia DOI: 10.7176/CER/12-4-01 Publication date: April 30th 202

Psychological Capital and Teacher Well-Being: The Mediation Role of Coping with Stress and Work Task Motivation

The number of teacher well-being studies has been increasing in the international researches since the Millennium; however, this remarkable topic is not well investigated in every country. Present dissertation has got a double function: one intention of it is to explore the mediation role of work task motivation and coping with stress in the relationship between psychological capital and teacher well-being in Ethiopian higher education context, another goal is to develop an integrated teacher well-being model based on the contemporary theories of positive psychology, coping appraisal, and self-determination of motivation. Using an associational and quantitative cross-sectional design, 3,517 university instructors participated in the research. Stratified random sampling was used for recruiting respondents, and their answers were statistically processed with the help of IBM SPSS 26 and AMOS 26. First, we examined the cross-cultural validation of psychological capital questionnaire (PCQ-12; Luthans et al., 2007), work task motivation scale for teachers (WTMST; Fernet et al., 2008), coping with stress questionnaire (CWS-Q; Rabenu et al., 2016), and teacher well-being scale (TWBS; Collie et al., 2015) using single and multi-modal confirmatory factor analysis. Secondly, we confirmed and explored the dimensions of the mediation role of work task motivation in the relationship between psychological capital and teacher well-being. Thirdly, based on the previous results, we added the coping with stress construct to assess its mediating role in the relationship between psychological capital and teacher well-being. Fourthly, we merged and examined the mediation role of work task motivation and coping with stress in the relationship between psychological capital and teacher well-being in the Ethiopian higher education cultural settings. The measures developed and tested contribute to the Ethiopian higher education by ensuring a broader range of tools for university decision-makers. Based on the research findings it became possible to enhance higher education instructors’ well-being in the framework of positive psychological interventions, and to develop their coping with stress and motivational strategies. The verified teacher well-being model is suitable for being adopted and used worldwide

Rural Land Rights and Limitations in Ethiopia: The Study of Amhara Region

According to Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia/ FDRE constitution, land is a common property of the Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of Ethiopia and shall not be subject, to sale or to other means of exchange. Thus, the peasants have the right to obtain land without payment and the protection against eviction from their possession. The peasants are permitted by the holding right, which include the lifetime use of rural land. But, there are a number of restrictions and prohibitions imposed on peasants holding right by the law. These restrictions include inadequate duration of rights, prohibitions imposed on transfer of holding right and absence of adequate compensation during expropriation. Because of these restrictions, peasants are prohibited to do things, whatever they want in their farmland. In doing so, by using primary and secondary data, this article explores the extent of land rights and limitations of peasants’ and providing some amendments of constitutional law on peasants holding right generally in Ethiopia, particularly in Amhara region. Keywords: - Land Right; Land Tenure; Tenure Security; Expropriation; Compensation; Constitution and Ethiopia. DOI: 10.7176/JEES/11-3-03 Publication date:March 31st 202

The Role of Omega 3 Fatty Acids in Memory Improvement: Possible Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential

Omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω‐3 PUFAs) from fish and plant sources are promising dietary supplements to improve brain functions and slow down the progression of memory loss. Previous findings of preclinical, clinical and epidemiological research indicated there is a potential for consideration in therapeutic agent. We summarized the most relevant works literature in understanding the mechanism of omega 3 fatty acids induced memory improvement. The first part of this review focuses on discussion of omega 3 fatty acids and mechanism of memory, emphasis is given to the role of omega 3 PUFAs on memory at different stages/sites of memory formation: including effect on neuronal membrane, neurotransmitter exocytosis, concentration of neurotransmitters, receptors, and signaling molecules as well as neural plasticity for long term memory. The therapeutic potential of omega 3 PUFA in neurocognitive disorders is also summarized from recent clinical trials. Keywords: Omega 3 fatty acids, memory, neurotransmitters, signaling molecules, therapeutic potential DOI: 10.7176/JMPB/54-01 Publication date: April 30th 201

Small Loans-Big Gains: Benefits and Repayment Performance of Microfinance Programs in Tgray, Mekelle

Microfinance is the provision of small amount of loans to those who have low income and could not have the access to credit from the formal banks. The study was conducted aiming to assess impact of programs in terms of poverty reduction, women`s empowerment, timely repayment and the livelihood of borrowers of Dedebit Credit and Saving Institution(DECSI), using primary data which has been collected through structured questionnaire in the study area. Data used for this study were collected as part of the MU-IUC collaboration program between Mekelle University and Flemish Universities. A sample of 183 borrowers was selected randomly for the study. From the total sample respondents 71.58% are female and the rest 28.42% are male. Moreover, 108 are female headed households and the remaining 51 are male headed households. Therefore, from the sample clients female headed households are larger than male headed clients. Only clients who took at least two group loans are included in the study as members of the treated group. The control group, on the other hand, was made up of DECSI’s clients who took only one loan. It was found out in the study that, on average, female headed borrowers took significantly lesser amount of loan than their male counterparts. Members of the treated group in the sample enjoyed loan frequency ranging from 2-14 and it was found that the amount of loan they borrow (loan size) increased from time to time. With regard to average profit the amount of profit on average obtained by male household headed borrowers is higher than their female household headed counterparts in x all the three loan periods (Current Loan period, Previous Loan period, and Before Previous Loan period). To measure the impact of microfinance on the living condition of clients we use the Propensity Score Matching (PSM). Quasi-experimental samples which contain participants and non-participants have been used. We use household consumption expenditure as impact indicator. The analytical findings indicate that microfinance loans of DECSI have improved the clients` wellbeing in their living standard. There is a significance difference between treated and control groups in terms of food and non-food expenditure which includes expenditure on personal care, durables and jewelry. The income of the clients has increases due to the fact that beyond their food consumption they possess durable goods like household furniture and jewelry such as gold and silver. However, we did not find significant difference between program participants and non-participants for total expenditure on education, utilities and other expenses like social contributions except that in only one method is significant. The increment of income is not only at household level but also total per capita of individual household members

Effect of Ripening on the Overall Quality of Orange Juice

The experiment was conducted at Mekele University, Department of Food Science and Postharvest Technology to evaluate to the effect of ripening on the quality of the juice and to know the consumer acceptance of the different types of juices. To conduct the study, a total of 3 kg orange fruits which are uniform, undamaged and no symptom of infection was gathered, randomly grouped into 3 groups (4 oranges in each group) from orange trees to test the physico-chemical as well as juice quality. The first group (4 fruits) was analyzed while it is unripe. Whereas the second and third group was allowed to ripen under room temperature of 25 to 30 oC then analyzed when it is half-ripe, fully-ripe respectively. The sensory evaluation was carried out on the juice using 5 trained panelists who frequently use orange juice. Sensory attributes was assessed using appearance, taste, mouth feel and overall acceptability. A hedonic scale of 1-5 (5= likes very much,4=slightly very much,3=neither like nor dislike,2=dislike slightly and1=dislike very much) was used as assessment criteria. The study concludes that the stage of ripening of orange has nutritional as well as sensory implications on juice produced from it. Accordingly, full-ripe orange is preferred for producing good quality orange juice and better acceptability of by customers than juice prepared from un-ripped and partially ripped orange. Overall, the study recommends that orange fruit should be collected once fully ripe, but extra delay in the field or storage may lead to deterioration in quality due to over-ripening as well as attack by birds, insects. Such condition leads to produce with less acceptance even health risk to costumers. Keywords: ripe, orange juice, sensory qualit

Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance of the PERMA Profiler in an Ethiopian Higher Education Setting

The primary goal of the present study was to test the Amharic version of the five-factor PERMA profiler: P (positive emotion), E (engagement), R (positive relationships), M (meaning in life), and A (accomplishment) aimed to assess University instructors’ positive functioning of their work. Exploratory factor analysis, single and multi-Group confirmatory factor analysis, measurement invariance, and path analysis were employed. The details of an examination of the PERMA profiler are discussed