Governance and Development of Eritrea and its Regional Context
6 Pages Posted: 27 Feb 2015
Date Written: February 25, 2015
Abstract
Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1991. Its great promise melted away. Eritrea today is a pariah state, ruled by an authoritarian regime that United Nations organs have condemned for human rights abuses and sanctioned for terrorism and adventurism in the region. Eritrea has never held an election. It lacks effective institutions of governance or civil society. It ranks 182 out of 187 countries on the Human Development Index. Per capita income declined from 1995 to 2013 by 21% to $1147 USD. Refugees stream out of the country: twenty per cent of Eritreans now live in the diaspora. There have been recent coup attempts.
This report recounts the events of a colloquium featuring leaders in constitutional design and Eritrean and regional stakeholders. It was convened with the goals of advancing understanding about possible transitions from authoritarianism, governance options and pathways to development.
Keywords: Constitutional design, Comparative constitutional law, Constitutional transitions, East Africa, Transitional justice, Governance
JEL Classification: K00, K19, P20, P30, P50
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation