'Korea Society for Computational Fluids Engineering'
Abstract
The functioning of democratic institutions has the potential to bring about substantial policy change in
favour of poor and marginalised people. However, there is a limited understanding of how to strengthen
the political representation of poor people within democratic structures. This paper looks at one example
of how the political representation of a historically marginalised and excluded group – pastoralists in
Ethiopia – is shifting and changing. Based on research at federal, regional and sub-regional levels in
Ethiopia, it discusses the establishment of a body within parliament committed to representing this group.
It identifies the critical factors which led to its formation as changes in the broader political environment
as well as a specific moment of change, the role of key actors both internally and externally, and the
cumulative effect of the mobilisation of a substantial group of MPs. The paper also discusses the
limitations of both this body and other structures of political representation in the political context of
Ethiopia. The key constraint to effective political representation is identified as the broader political
environment, including a lack of political competition and an absence of institutionalised democratic
processes