Solomon Mulugeta

I am a faculty member at the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, College of Social Sciences, Addis Ababa University (AAU). I hold a PhD. in Urban Planning and Policy Development from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. I also have MA and BA degrees in Geography from AAU.
I have served the AAU in various capacities starting from 1979. I served mainly as a lecturer prior to my departure for the US as a Fulbright student in 1990. After earning my PhD. in 1995, I served as Chairman of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies for two years. From September 1997 to November 2001, I served as the Dean of the College of Social Sciences.
My teaching and research interests lie primarily in the broad area of Urban and Regional Development Planning. In the recent past, in addition to my heavy work load at the AAU, I have been increasingly involved in consultancy work with both public and private institutions. My most recent works in this regard involved participating in the formulation of the national urban development policy of Ethiopia and preparing a report for the Government on the Millennium Development Goals Needs Assessment for improving the lives of slum dwellers.
Ethiopia was under a heavy handed rule of a Marxist Military junta from 1974 to 1991. Following a change of government in 1991, however, the country has been witnessing considerable market oriented reforms. The principal objective of my current research is to examine the extent to which these reforms have impacted the living conditions of urban households in various corners of the country.