Limiting Social Protection through Political Decentralization: Internally Displaced People’s Access to Food Assistance in Ethiopia
Major
Political Science
Submission Type
Poster
Area of Study or Work
International Studies, Political Science
Faculty Advisor
William Munro
Location
CNS Atrium
Start Date
4-11-2026 11:15 AM
End Date
4-11-2026 12:30 PM
Abstract
Ethiopia hosts over four million internally displaced people (IDPs) impacted by conflict, climate change, land-grabbing, or extreme poverty. Due to instability and lack of resources, this group is extremely vulnerable to food insecurity, among other developmental challenges. The Ethiopian government provides support for food-insecure households through the Food Security Program (FSP), its flagship effort to uplift households to become food secure after resettlement. The program aims to graduate recipients from humanitarian aid into sustainable livelihoods. Since its establishment, FSP has failed to sustainably eliminate hunger, which raises the question of how effective the FSP is in meeting the food needs of IDPs. This paper argues that the implementation of FSP in securing IDPs’ food needs is undermined by political decentralization, which allows regional political corruption and weak institutional capacity to implement the policy. As a result, local authorities exclude IDPs from participating in the program to which they are entitled. The paper focuses on those displaced by climate change and land-grabbing because they are expected to graduate from the humanitarian to the developmental need-based category. The research is based on program implementation manuals, FAO reports, and previous research on local policy implementation. The findings suggest that decentralization without strong institutions is likely to exclude marginalized groups from social safety nets.
Limiting Social Protection through Political Decentralization: Internally Displaced People’s Access to Food Assistance in Ethiopia
CNS Atrium
Ethiopia hosts over four million internally displaced people (IDPs) impacted by conflict, climate change, land-grabbing, or extreme poverty. Due to instability and lack of resources, this group is extremely vulnerable to food insecurity, among other developmental challenges. The Ethiopian government provides support for food-insecure households through the Food Security Program (FSP), its flagship effort to uplift households to become food secure after resettlement. The program aims to graduate recipients from humanitarian aid into sustainable livelihoods. Since its establishment, FSP has failed to sustainably eliminate hunger, which raises the question of how effective the FSP is in meeting the food needs of IDPs. This paper argues that the implementation of FSP in securing IDPs’ food needs is undermined by political decentralization, which allows regional political corruption and weak institutional capacity to implement the policy. As a result, local authorities exclude IDPs from participating in the program to which they are entitled. The paper focuses on those displaced by climate change and land-grabbing because they are expected to graduate from the humanitarian to the developmental need-based category. The research is based on program implementation manuals, FAO reports, and previous research on local policy implementation. The findings suggest that decentralization without strong institutions is likely to exclude marginalized groups from social safety nets.