4 - When Theory Misses History

Abstract

As the latest addition to the literature on the Ethiopian developmental state, published mainly in the context of the political crisis that has been currently shaking the country, any reader of (Ethiopian) political economy would benefit from reading this book. The Ethiopian developmental state and its ‘impressive’ achievement is the central subject matter of Aaron Tesfaye’s book. Conceptualizing economic development broadly as a process of transforming not onlythe economic sector but also the social and the political structure of a country, the author explores this transformationprocess anchoring his analysis on the role of the Ethiopian state. Defining the developmental state by its ideology andstructural autonomy from society, Aaron sets the major problematique of the book- the history of successful developmental states in Africa - in order to debunk the Afro-pessimist representation of African states as collapsed and too weak to be agents of development. Indeed, using the success stories of Botswana and the emerging success of Ethiopia as evidence, the author debunks the pessimist representation of African states. It is the empirical record of economic growth measured in GDP and the impressive performance in achieving Millennium Development Goals and self-proclaimed emulation project of ‘developmental’ state by Ethiopian leaders, acclaimed by scholars and international aid agencies alike, that constitute the rationale of Aaron’s book.