In this blog post, I argue that the Ethiopian social welfare system is not only inefficient but also regressive. Contrary to the rhetoric, the system is not progressive; it mainly…
Author: Yohannis M. Tessema
Many of us agree that the quality of our education is in a downward spiral. We witness the deteriorating quality of education everywhere: buildings that waste lots of space due…
Foreign aid has multiple professed benefits for developing countries. In developing countries, capital is scarce precisely because they are poor. Moreover, the infant financial sector in these countries does not…
The Afar story Two years or so ago, I had to coordinate farm household surveys in Ethiopia’s Awash river basin. The survey’s thrust was to get a better understanding of…
Part II: Obsession with Fancy Models and Some Recommendations In this part, I discuss my second concern with the practice of social science research and conclude with some suggestions. The…
Part I: Obsession with Causality In two blog posts, I would like to raise an issue that has been boggling my mind and making me question the very importance of…
Every society has its own passionate protectors of culture, albeit differences in their efficacy. Protecting one’s culture is worth a fight for its own sake. After all, it is culture…