Critical scholars argue that African states ceded policy autonomy to global neoliberal forces through aid conditionality. This study investigates the Ethiopian state's relative autonomy amid globalization. Based on an analysis of archival materials, policy documents, and other sources, we argue that despite growing neoliberal influence since the 1990s, Ethiopia has managed to maintain a high degree of relative autonomy, overtly and covertly resisting neoliberal economic reforms in the 1990s and then openly choosing the ‘developmental state’ approach after 2005. We show that Ethiopia was able to do this due to its strategic significance to the West and because of China's emergence as an alternative financial source. We thus argue that the debate regarding globalization and state autonomy should take into account a wider range of factors than IFI conditionality.
Policy implications
- African policy makers can increase their state's relative autonomy in the global order: They should recognize that there are policy alternatives and that since the early 2000s the hegemony of neoliberal globalization has been weakened. African states should approach interactions with global actors as strategic negotiations, proactively advancing national development priorities and using their distinct advantages to shape the terms of engagement to their benefit.
- Weigh geostrategic importance: African countries should actively utilize their geo-strategic importance in global affairs. States with significant geopolitical importance should strategically leverage this position in international negotiations to obtain more favorable aid and loan conditions, while safeguarding their policy autonomy.
- Strengthen engagement with alternative global powers: African states should diversify their international partnerships beyond traditional Western powers by actively engaging with emerging global players, such as China and other non-Western countries.
- Incorporate noneconomic factors into policy decisions: Policymakers should take into account the strategic, political, and security advantages and disadvantages of their global interactions in order to balance economic goals with broader national interests.
- Reframe the narrative around weak states' autonomy: Policymakers and advisors should challenge the assumption that weak statehood inevitably leads to policy subordination, and instead focus on strengthening institutional capacity to make strategic choices within global constraints.
Photo by Lan Yao