Economic Education: A Requirement For Building A Free Market Economy And A Liberal Democracy In Ethiopia

Abstract

This essay presents the case for a national campaign of economic literacy in Ethiopia.  It  argues that given the lack of opportunities for exposure to a properly functioning market economy or for formal training in economic principles, Ethiopians tend to be predisposed to accepting and/or seeking guidance from government regulators as though that is the natural or only way to proceed in their business and personal choices.  This state of affaires is a key reason for the state of abject poverty Ethiopians have had to live in for generations.  The paper proposes a two track program of economic education to free the creative talents of the people of Ethiopia from the shackles of regulation.  Such a program, it is argued, is a necessary although not a sufficient condition for the Ethiopian economy to bust loose from its prolonged state of paralysis.  Economic education which helps let citizens be free from bureaucratic regimens to dream and to take calculated risk in the pursuit of their economic and financial ambitions will also make significant contributions towards expanding the scope for personal freedoms in other dimensions of life in Ethiopian.