Good Governance Practices and Challenges in Local Government of Ethiopia: The Case of Bonga Town Administration

This study sought to assess the practice and challenges of good governance in Bonga Town Administration. A descriptive research method was utilized. Respondents are selected by purposive and convenience sampling techniques. Quantitative data was gathered through a questionnaire. Pertinent to qualitative information, structured interview, and FGD are employed. Then, data analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. Finally, the study disclosed a low level of accountability and transparency in the town administration. Pervasive corruption is also perceived as a key governance problem in the town; however, due to fear of reprisal citizens lack experience in exposing corruption. In sum poor service delivery, the gap between local government representatives and the town people, high level of rent-seeking, weak political leadership, lack of timely response for a public interest, and public disengagement in shared affairs were found to be challenges of good governance. Henceforth, based on the findings, it is concluded that the current good governance practice in Bonga Town Administration is weak and identified with a high level of rent-seeking among public servants as well as appointed and elected authorities. This research argues for the existence of governance which ensures public engagement in decision making and prioritization of shared problems, accompanied by transparent and accountable administration. &nbsp

Sample Size for Interview in Qualitative Research in Social Sciences: A Guide to Novice Researchers

This review aimed to answer the question of how many interviews are enough for one qualitative research? The question ‘how many interviews are enough for one qualitative research is persistently controversial among qualitative researchers in social science. For this frequently occurring question especially among novice practitioners, the majority of scholars are opted to say no universally guiding rule to decide on a required number of sample for qualitative research rather ‘it depends’. But, this also raises another insight among researchers urging them to look for different things, i.e., on what circumstance would be making a decision about the required number of respondents depend? Though we lack one guideline dictating researchers how to decide on the number of sample size, the majority of researchers agree on one reasonable answer this is ‘it depends’. Indeed, in our work, we endeavor to identify, on what it depends? We also attempted to figure out or indicate the commonly referred range of sample size in qualitative research.  Generally when we sum up our review work, the decision on “How many” is depended on several factors among which the following are some; the focus of the research, the type of research question, available resource and time, institutional committee requirements, the judgments of epistemic community in which a researcher is located, the nature of the selected group, the domain of inquiry, the experience of the researcher with qualitative research, and so on. Specific to number 20-60 is the most frequently observed range of sample size in qualitative research which of course is determined by the aforementioned factors.  &nbsp

Mikirecco of Shekacho: Rethinking The Indigenous System of Governance and Uncovering Its Democratic Features

The purpose of this study is to explore the Indigenous System of Governance of Shekacho Community in Sheka Zone, South West Ethiopia. Pertinent to this, a qualitative approach—a key informant interview—was employed. Applicable to this, the purposive sampling technique was used to select research participants. Accordingly, information was gathered primarily using key informant interviews and FGD. The deductive thematic analysis technique was employed for the analysis of the data. The following conclusion was drawn from the analysis made. The findings indicated that the indigenous system of governance of the Shekacho community is one of the longest-lived, having its own distinctive nature and structural hierarchy through which socio-political and economic affairs of the community are carried out. The issue of social cohesion and social welfare, which are embedded in the customary norms and values of the community, is one of the magnificent pillars of the indigenous system of governance of Shekacho community. Therefore, it plays an irreplaceable role in maintaining social stability and cohesion. The indigenous system of governance of Shekacho people substantially includes democratic elements that can consolidate democracy at the national level. Therefore, recognizing the indigenous system of governance can have a tremendous role in promoting democracy in Ethiopia at large.