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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Property rights conflict, customary institutions and the State: the case of agro-pastoralists in Mieso district, eastern Ethiopia
Author:Beyene, FekaduISNI
Year:2009
Periodical:Journal of Modern African Studies
Volume:47
Issue:2
Pages:213-239
Language:English
Geographic term:Ethiopia
Subjects:property rights
ethnic conflicts
land use
conflict resolution
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/30224941
Abstract:This paper examines inter-ethnic conflict over grazing land previously accessed as common property. It presents results of a study undertaken in Mieso district of eastern Ethiopia where two ethnic groups maintain different production systems - pastoral (Somali) and agropastoral (Oromo). The historical change in land use by one of the ethnic groups, resource scarcity, violation of customary norms, power asymmetry and livestock raids are among the factors that have contributed to the recurrence of conflict. Particularly important is the role of raids in triggering conflict and restricting access to grazing areas. Socioeconomic and political factors are responsible for power asymmetry and the increasing scale of raids. An increase in the frequency of violence and a decline in the capacity of customary authority in conflict management advance the role of the State in establishing enforceable property rights institutions. This will succeed only if policies and interventions are redirected at suppressing incentives for violence, establishing new institutional structures in consultation with clan elders of both parties, and building internal capacity to monitor conflict-triggering events. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
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