Ethiopia has officially been branding herself as developmental state since the early 2000s. In the context of developmental state, a basic framework of a developmental public administration is considered to be a highly competitive, extensive, relatively efficient and effective. Thus, the creation of a meritocratic bureaucracy and extensive state capacity is required; and it is a central task.rnThe aim of this research is to investigate whether the Ethiopian civil service possesses attributes of civil services in developmental states which enable it to carry out developmental state objectives. In this context, meritocracy; politics - bureaucracy relationship; and neutrality of the bureaucracy are important factors that determine the quality of the bureaucracy; Hence discussed in detail.rnThe research approach is basically qualitative case study. The actual data collection has covered three ministries, vis. Ministry of Public Service and Human Resource, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, and Ministry of Industry, which are purposely, selected for their strong relevance vis-Ã -vis the issue under study. The instruments that have been used for collecting data are in-depth interview with key informants; focus group discussions; and document analysis. The total of sixty-three personnel which include all levels of officers have participated in interview and focus group discussions.rnGiven the findings of this research, the practices of Ethiopian federal institutions do not go with the requirements of civil services in developmental states. One of the key challenges that are hindering the Ethiopian federal civil service from being developmental is lack of institutionalizing and safeguarding the merit principle of recruitment and promotion. The other is the lack of development of a professional and politically neutral civil service. The third is absence of similar understanding and belief on main policies, vision and values. Tackling these challenges effectively does require many measures.