A federal system is responsive and inclusive. Citizens are free to run for government positions at all levels -- local and regional governments offer the most positions and, perhaps, the most opportunity to make a difference in their communities.

The Ethiopian government has been blamed for being anti-democratic, corrupt and working to the repress the rights of the people to assemble, the right to justice and equal economic opportunity. The government has been blamed for acts of torture and arbitrary detention, denying citizen’s freedom of expression and association, freedom of assembly, the coalition acting

This page contains 21 pieces in a new series of one-page primers on the fundamentals of democracy produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs. ESVM adopts the primers as a discussion paper to enhance understanding of Social Justice, Democracy, Social Capital and Humane rights. Although the term is ubiquitous in today's world, explaining "democracy" can be challenging. This series provides the reader with an overview paper and then breaks down the specific elements of democratic governance into individual topics. Each paper in the series reflects both the thinking of mainstream theorists and common practices of the many free societies now flourishing under systems of democratic governance.

the ability of people to work together for common purposes in groups and organizations’ (Fukuyama 1995, p. 10)[26] .’Social capital can be defined simply as the existence of a certain set of informal values or norms shared among members of a group that permit cooperation among them’ (Fukuyama 1997)[26] .

All citizens should be free to follow their conscience in matters of religious faith. Freedom of religion includes the right to worship alone or with others, in public or private, and to participate in religious observance, practice, and teaching without fear of persecution from government or other groups in society.

Unlike a dictatorship, a democratic government exists to serve the people, but citizens in democracies must also agree to abide by the rules and obligations by which they are governed. Democracies grant many freedoms to their citizens including the freedom to dissent and criticize the government. Citizenship in a democracy requires participation, civility, and even patience.