Ethiopia's Parliament urged to adopt post-legislative scrutiny for effective governance

This process involves systematically examining the practical effects of laws after their passage to determine if they are achieving their intended goals. While the passage of a law is often seen as the final step, PLS emphasizes that this is merely the midpoint, as the true impact of legislation on society and its implementation by various agencies needs continuous evaluation. The article argues that PLS is distinct from pre-passage scrutiny and reactive oversight, focusing instead on whether the law itself is effective.

For Ethiopia, a country with a complex federal structure, PLS could provide a crucial feedback loop to amend existing laws and improve future drafting. Although the House of Peoples' Representatives' standing committees have a mandate for such oversight, its exercise has been inconsistent. Structural challenges, including limited research capacity and political incentives that favor passing new laws over auditing old ones, contribute to this uneven application.

The article suggests various models for institutionalizing PLS, such as committee-based reviews, independent impact assessments by universities, participatory models involving citizens, and data-driven methodologies. Ultimately, it argues that a parliament's success should be measured not by the volume of laws passed, but by its willingness to assess and act upon th