Abstract
Federalism attempts to create a multilayered government in order to better accommodate the self-determination of regions or groups within its borders. For this reason, federalism is well suited for the diversity in Ethiopia and the many calls for self-determination within it. However, within Ethiopia and federal theory, there is little to no examination of the normative grounds for who should be accommodated in a federal state. This paper, situating itself in the context of Ethiopian federalism, addresses this theoretical and practical omission by producing a normative framework to assess the issues and questions of federal inclusion.