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Behind any development agenda prevails a reason, motives, objectives or other value of political character either explicitly or implicitly. After all, development takes place in a political environment and it has always a political connotation. And, this monograph is a synthesized study of politics´ and development´ approached from the vantage of endogenous or bottom-up perspective in the context of the Arsi Oromo of Bale. Emphasis has been made, however, to the political´ undertakings of the Dergue government under the banner of socialist-development´ in the same region, which practically may facilitate a better understanding of the intertwined and complex nature of the concepts involved. It argues that top- down imposition and enforcement of development strategies, which have proved failure for so long in Ethiopia should be reconsidered in such a way to make people both the means and end of development. Study sources attested that endogenous institutions which were once predominant variables can still be integrated into the development schemes for the people of the region and so for the socio-economic development of the country.

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Fikadu Tolossa Ayanie is a Lecturer in the Department of Governance and Development, Jimma University, Ethiopia. He studied and obtained his BA in Political Science and International Relations, and MA in Regional and Local Development Studies from Addis Ababa University in 2006 and 2010 respectively.

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