Fountain of Knowledge School

ፋውንቴን ኦፍ ኖሌጅ ት/ቤት

2016 ዓ.ም ትምህርት ዘመን
2023/2024 Academic Year

Citizenship unit 1-5

UNIT ONE
DEMOCRACY AND DEMOCRATIZATION

This unit has 6 lessons. These are: -

Lesson 1: The concept of democracy and democratization
Lesson 2: Definitions and actors of democratization process
Lesson 3: Institutionalizing democracy
Lesson 4: The role of democracy for social transformation
Lesson 5 Democratic values, and
Lesson 6 Aspects of democracy
Accordingly, the unit has the following major ideas: -
 What is the concept of democracy?
 The word democracy was derived from two Greek words: “Demos” and “Kratos”
which means people and rule (Legitimate or legal power to rule), respectively.
This definition implies the idea of rule by the people or government by the
people.
 The dictionary definition of democracy says - it is a state of government in which
people hold the ruling power either directly (Direct democracy) or indirectly
(Indirect or representative democracy) through their elected representatives.
 Generally, democracy has the following definitions: -
 Legitimate power to rule
 Government or rule by the people.
 Government in which the people hold the ruling power directly or
indirectly.
 What is democratization?
 It is a complex, long-term, dynamic, and open-ended political process.
 It is a progress towards a more rule-based, more consensual and more
participatory type of politics.
 It is a political process that moves the political system of a given country into
democracy.
 It is the transition to a more democratic political regime i.e. from an
authoritarian regime to a full democracy, or a transition from an authoritarian
political system to a semi-democracy, or a transition from a semiauthoritarian
political system to a democratic political system.
 Democratization and building a democratic system in a state requires the following
things: -
I. The implementation of the constitution and democratic principles. Some of the
principles of democratic and constitutional states include: -
 Sovereign authority of the people,
 Supremacy of the constitution,

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  Majority rule and minority right,
 Separation of power,
 Free, fair and periodic election,
 Accountability and, transparency
 Secularism,
 Equality before the law,
 Peaceful transmission of power, and
 multiparty system
II. Actors in the democratization process. The major actors are: -
 Political parties: are vectors of democracy and instruments through which
power is attained by means of free, fair and transparent elections.
 Civil societies: are non-governmental and non- profit making
associations and organizations. They contribute to consciousness raising,
defense of the legitimate interests of groups of individuals and the protection
of individual and collective rights and freedoms.
 Interest groups: are organizations or groups of people, which are
autonomous from government or political parties with the objective of
influencing government.
 Mass media: refers to an institution and to the methods of communication
which can reach largenumber of people at the same time. It is one of the
major actors in the democratization process which needs freedom
essentially. And, It includes newspapers, television, radio, books, posters,
magazines, cinema, etc.
III. Democratic institutions. They are institutions that facilitate and promote the
operations of democracy and make democracy to work. Some of the democratic
institutions include independent national electoral commission, political parties,
pressure groups, arms or bodies of a government (The legislative, the executive and
judiciary organs), human rights commission, ombudsman … etc.
 Independent national electoral commission (INEC): Independent national
electoral commission is a corporate body charged with the responsibility of
organizing, conducting and supervising electionsinto electoral offices in
the country.
 Political parties: Political parties are organized group of individuals who
share same political ideologies, beliefs and interests and who seek to win
elections and control the state power and machinery of government.
 Pressure group: A pressure group is an organized body of people seeking to
influence government policy, and to promote the interest of their members.
A pressure group is also called interest group.
 Branches of government: Basically the three bodies that makes law
(Legislative), that implements law (Executive) and that interprets law
(Judiciary).
 The role of democracy for social transformation: -
 Social change
 Social activism
 Civic engagement
 Civic dialogue
 Community building
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  Social capital
 Community development
 Cultural vitality
 Cultural democracy
 Democratic values
 Democracy has three core values. These are: -
 Liberty includes personal freedom, political freedom and economic
freedom.
 Justice includes distributive justice (It is about distributive benefits
and burdens fairly), corrective justice (It is about giving proportional
response to wrong doings and injuries), and procedural justice (It is
about gathering information and making decisions impartially in
courts)
 Equality includes political equality, social equality and cultural
equality.
 Aspects of democracy
 Democracy has different aspects. But, the major aspects of democracy are:
Social,
 Economic, and
 Political.
UNIT TWO:
CITIZENS IN THE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AGE

This unit has four lessons. These are: -

Lesson 1: The implications of digital technology on citizens
Lesson 2: The ethics of using digital technology
Lesson 3: The opportunities of digital technology for young citizens, and
Lesson 4: The impacts of unethical use of digital technology on young citizens
Accordingly, the second unit has the following major ideas: -
 Effects of digital technology on citizens:
 Digital technology has both positive and negative impacts on citizens’
emotional, social and ethical life.
A) Positive impactsof digital technology on citizens: -
I. Positive impacts of digital technology on citizens emotional life
 Self- control,
 Fostering socialization,
 Maintaining emotional balance,
 Supporting happiness and well-being,
 Regulating emotions,
 Providing a sense of security,
 Increased emotional satisfaction or self-conception
II. Positive impacts of digital technology on citizens social life
 Increased social connectivity,
 Speedy communication,
 Advancing education,
 Transportation,
 Banking and finance,
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  Health care,
 Economic growth,
III. Positive impacts of digital technology on citizens ethical life
 Developing critical thinking,
 Developing universal moral values,
 Self-learning of good habits
B) Negative impacts of digital technology on citizens: -
IV. Negative impacts of digital technology on citizens emotional life: -
 Isolation,
 Secondhand living,
 Depression and anxiety,
 Anonymity and fake personality,
 Addiction,
V. Negative impacts of digital technology on citizens social life
 Social alienation,
 Eroding privacy,
 Job insecurity,
 Data insecurity,
 Crime and terrorism,
 Negative effects on physical health,
VI. Negative impacts of digital technology on ethical life of citizens
 Ethical dilemma,
 Increasing uncertainty,
 Creating unhappiness,
 Untruthfulness,
 Eroding people’s norms of freedom, and
 Induction of negative emotions.
 The ethics of using digital technology: -
 Ethical and acceptable behavior is important in utilizing digital technology
such as internet, cellular phones and laptops.
 The appropriate and responsible use of the internet, computers and digital
devices is termed as digital citizenship.
 The general areas of behavior that make up digital citizenship include the
following elements: -
i. Etiquette: electronic standard of conduct or procedure,
ii. Responsibility: electronic responsibility for actions and deeds,
iii. Safety: physical well-being in digital technology,
iv. Security or self-protection: electronic precautions to guarantee
safety,
v. Confidentiality: security of privacy rights
vi. Accuracy or trust worthiness: accuracy of the information, there is
no agency monitoring truth or accuracy of information which is
available on the internet.
 Opportunities digital technology provides for young citizens
 Information access: young citizens can easily access information about what
is going on in their own country and around the world.

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  Social connectivity: young citizens can connect socially in spite of time and
space.
 Learning opportunities: young citizens can access lessons and courses that
are delivered virtually online.
 Versatile working opportunities: young citizens can accomplish their task
from thousands of miles, just staying at your home.
 Innovative and creative opportunities: young citizens are being exposed to
new ideas and technologies which is motivating them to be more creative and
innovative.
 Impacts of unethical use of digital technology
 Academic dishonesty or plagiarism is the act of presenting the ideas,
words, or other intellectual property of other person as one’s own.
 Digital media piracy is violating property rights related with artistic
productions like music, movies and books.
 Identity theft is behaving anti-socially hiding self-identities in others name.
 Unfriendly and revenge sex is to pose risks on the relationships of sexual
friends using digital technology.

UNIT THREE:
UNDERSTANDING GOOD GOVERNANCE
This unit has 7 lessons. These are: -
Lesson 1: The concept of governance
Lesson 2: The concept of good governance
Lesson 3: Elements of good governance
Lesson 4: The role of good governance
Lesson 5: Challenges of good governance
Lesson 6: Impacts of lack of good governance
Lesson 7: Understanding and fighting corruption
Accordingly, the unit has the following major ideas: -
 The concept of governance
 Governance refers to the exercise of political and administrative authority at
all levels to manage a country’s affairs.
 The concept of good governance
 Good governance is a way of measuring how public institutions conduct
public affairs and manage public resources in a better way.
 Elements of good governance
 Elements of good governance may vary according to the nature and functions
of institutions. However, the following elements are practiced by almost all
institutions and organizations. These elements of good governance include: -
 Accountability: it is about answerability of officials for their deeds.
 Participation: it is about the involvement of citizens in the process of
decision making.
 Rule of law: it is about the fair and impartial enforcement of legal
frame works so that citizens obey the law in the same way.
 Transparency: it is about availability of information for the general
public.

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  Equity and inclusiveness: it is about the feeling of all citizens that
they have stake in their society.
 Responsiveness: it is about service provision of institutions within
reasonable time frame.
 Consensus oriented-ness: it is about considering the interests of the
vast majority and giving priority based up on the majority’s interest.
 Effectiveness and efficiency:is about achieving goals of institutions
using the least minimum cost.
 The role of good governance
 Good governance promotes:
 Economic development through ensuring the rule of law; improving
the efficiency and accountability of the public and private sector; better
allocation and distribution of resources; allowing the community
access to government institutions and markets…etc.
 Social development through access to better living conditions;
creating ability to feed, clothe and shelter oneself; creating ability to
live longer, to read, write and understand and to participate
meaningfully.
 Strong social cohesion and unity,
 Peace and peaceful coexistence,
 Social justice,
 Government’s stability, and
 Respect for human right

 Challenges of good governance

 There are many challenges of good governance throughout the world, specially
the developing nations face the following challenges: -
 Unaccountability of officials
 Lack of Independent courts
 Inefficient utilization of resources
 Unfair distribution of wealth
 Absolute poverty, and
 corruption
 Impacts of lack of good governance
 If there is lack of good governance in a state the following things will be seen
as consequences. These are: -
 Political instability
 Inability of rule of law i.e. laws can’t be obeyed by everybody.
 Inability to secure justice i.e. there will be unfair share of resources.
 Lack of transparency i.e. lack of information about deeds of the
government.
 Lack of empowerment,
 Inefficient service delivery, and
 Administrative irregularities
 Understanding and fighting corruption
 Corruption is the misuse of public office or power for once own private gain or
benefit.
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  There are different types of corruption. These are: -
 Bribery,
 Embezzlement,
 Fraud,
 Nepotism, and
 Extortion
 Different methods are employed to fight against corruption. These include: -
 Creating public awareness,
 Citizens’ participation,
 Strengthening the civil service,
 Simplifications of administrative procedures
 Having free and independent media
 Strengthening the judicial system.

UNIT FOUR
INDIGENOUS CONFLICT RESOLUTION MECHANISMS

This unit has five lessons. These are: -

Lesson 1: The concept of peace
Lesson 2: Impacts of absence of peace
Lesson 3: The notion of peace building
Lesson 4: Indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms, and
Lesson 5: The role of indigenous social institutions in ensuring sustainable peace
Accordingly, the unit has the following major ideas: -
 The concepts of peace
 The word peace is used in wide spheres. It has variety of meanings and
types.
 Types of peace: generally, peace can be classified as: -
 Internal peace: it is also called "inner peace" or "peace of mind or soul"
 External peace: is peace that occurs outside of the individual in societies
and the world.
 Positive and negative peace
 Positive peace: is true, long lasting and sustainable peace built on
justice for all peoples.
 Negative peace: is the absence of direct violence or the fear of
violence. It is defined as a peace without justice.
 Impacts of absence of peace
 Security impacts,
 Creates continuous social and political disharmony,
 Failure to accomodate cultural diversity,
 Undermine socio-economic development,
 Grave human rights violations,
 The notion of peace building
 Peace building is a long term process of ensuring peace through encouraging
conflicting parties to talk to each other, establishing viable political, socio-
economic and cultural institutions, promoting integration of competing or
alienated groups...etc.
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 Indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms
 Indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms are grass roots and between
community-based mechanisms of resolving conflicts arising within and
between individuals, groups and communities according to their customary
set of practices.
 Features of indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms: -
 Context specific: there is no general principle and procedure of
indigenous conflict resolution; the approaches are always context specific.
 Voluntary and consensual proceedings: voluntary participation of both
conflicting parties and reaching agreement to abide by the outcomes.
 Locally circumscribed constituency: has specifically circumscribed
geographic location.
 Accepted and flexible norms, rules and values
 Group-based responsibility
 Negotiation and compromise
 Dynamism and responsiveness to change
 Restoration and maintenance of peaceful co-existence
 Forgiveness and compensation, and
 Public participation
 Indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms in Ethiopia
 The wide diversity of societies in Ethiopia makes the state a home for
numerous indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms.
 Some of the indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms include:
 The "Makabana" in Afar,
 "Shimigilina" in Amhara,
 "Bayto" in Tigray,
 "Jaarsummaa" in Oromiya,
 "Seera" in Sidama,
 "Xeer" in Somali,
 "Korfinie" in Gamo,
 "Ye Joka" in Gurage
 The roles of indigenous social institutions in ensuring sustainable peace
 Indigenous social institutions provides the following roles: -
 Building community cohesion: providing a sense of togetherness and a
collective spirit which enhances solidarity and self-governance,
 Restoration of order and relationships,
 Addressing the psycho-social and spiritual dimensions of conflicts and
sustainability of peace,
 Providing for inclusion and participation, and
 Ensuring accessibility to the community

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UNIT FIVE
FEDERALISM IN ETHIOPIA

This unit has 5 lessons. These are: -

Lesson 1: The meaning of federalism
Lesson 2: Types of federalism
Lesson 3: Key features of federalism
Lesson 4: Advantage and disadvantage of federalism
Lesson 5: The roles of federalism in accommodating diversity in Ethiopia

Accordingly, the unit has the following major ideas:

 The meaning of federalism
 Federalismis a system of government where power is divided between federal
and regional governments.
 Devolution is the principle of federalism which means to transfer power to
regions that constitutes of the federation.
 Types of federalism
 Dual federalism is based on a clear delineation of authority and program
among the levels of government. It is also known as layer cake federalism.
 Cooperative federalism is based on a pragmatic mixing of authority and
programs among the national state, and local governments. It is also called
marble cake federalism.
 Key features of federalism
 The following points are some of the common features of some federations.
 Division of power,
 Decentralized system of government,
 Written and supreme federal constitution,
 Rigid constitution
 Advantages and disadvantages of federalism
 Advantages of federalism
 Division of power,
 Separate government,
 Written constitution,
 Rigid constitution,
 Special judiciary,
 Better understanding of local issues and demands,
 Increasing citizens participation,
 Protection against tyranny,
 More efficiency
 Disadvantages of federalism
 Conflict of authority,
 Regionalism over patriotism,
 Lack of accountability,
 Inequalities between states, and
 Blockage of nationalist policies by states
 The roles of federalism in accommodating diversity in Ethiopia
 Accommodating the interests of distinct ethnic groups,
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 Empowering all ethnic groups through the right to self- determination, the
right to autonomy (self –government), the right to speak their own
language…etc.
 Ethiopian federalism has its own features. Some of them are listed below: -
 Power division between states and the federal government: the federal
and state governments have exclusive and concurrent powers.
 Constitutional interpretation: the House of Federation is empowered
to interpret the FDRE constitution.
 Bi-cameral legislature: the parliament has two houses. These are the
House of Peoples Representatives (HPR) and the House of Federation.
 The highest authority of the federal government rests up on the
House of Peoples Representatives.
 The House of Federation (The upper house) is a representative
organ whose members are representatives of each nation,
nationalities and peoples.
 Challenges to Ethiopian federalism
 Unbalanced relationships between forces of unity and forces of
diversity,
 The dilemma between regionalism and nationalism, as well as
individual and collective rights,
 Oppositions on the explicit acknowledgement of the right to self-
determination up to secession Article 39 of the FDRE constitution.
 Lack of skilled man power and experience in some regional states…etc.

GOOD LUCK!

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