The Dynamics of Resettlement with reference to the Ethiopian Experience

This paper is a summary of a thesis submitted to the Kimmage Development Studies Centre, Dublin in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MA in Development Studies. The paper focuses on the dynamics of resettlement with reference to the Ethiopian experience. Because of rapid economic growth, population pressure and the degradation of natural resources, the resettlement of people to new locations has become a dominant development discourse in many parts of the world. Research evidence suggests, however, that many such initiatives have not brought positive results. Broadly, there are two divergent arguments as to why resettlement often fails to improve the situation of the people concerned. Some argue that it is an inherently complex process, emanating from unfair wealth distribution. Others, on the contrary, say that it is an inevitable consequence of development and that what matters is the presence of efficient and effective frameworks to plan and implement it. The aim of the research I conducted in 2006 in a government-sponsored resettlement scheme in Southern Ethiopia was to assess these arguments, with the help of empirical evidence provided largely by the affected people themselves. This evidence suggested that the resettlement scheme had both positive and negative aspects. This paper argues that resettlement could be a viable strategy for solving the pressing problem of food insecurity in Ethiopia, but if it is implemented on a large scale, without in-depth feasibility studies, proper planning or adequate resources, it could have multiple negative impacts, both on resettlers and the environment. Resettlement may indeed offer improved livelihoods for those who move voluntarily, provided it is done on a manageable scale with sufficient government resources; that it is implemented within a relatively small geographical area and within a relatively homogeneous ecological zone; and that it is planned and executed with proper care and support for the resettlers