Power-sharing

Power-sharing is a political arrangement that distributes governing authority among groups, often to prevent one community from dominating others. It can allocate power through institutions, territorial autonomy, or negotiated rules.

Consociationalism: A form of democracy that shares power among segmented communities through practices such as grand coalitions and mutual vetoes. It is the best-known model for sharing authority among politically distinct communities.
Centripetalism: An approach to divided-society politics that encourages cross-group appeals and broad electoral coalitions. Unlike group-based power-sharing, it seeks integration through incentives for politicians to attract other communities.
Good Friday Agreement: The 1998 agreement that established a framework for peace and devolved government in Northern Ireland. Its institutions share executive authority between unionist and nationalist parties.
Majoritarianism: A political principle that gives governing authority to the majority, subject to constitutional limits. It contrasts with arrangements that guarantee groups influence beyond their electoral numbers.
Federalism: A system of government in which constitutional authority is divided between central and regional governments. Territorial division can give communities governing powers without requiring a single shared administration.
Veto player: An actor whose agreement is required to change policy or the status quo. Power-sharing rules create multiple actors whose consent may be necessary for major decisions.
Dayton Agreement: The 1995 peace agreement that ended the Bosnian War and established Bosnia and Herzegovina’s constitutional order. Its complex institutions allocate authority among Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs.
Partition: The division of a territory into separate political jurisdictions, often along national or communal lines. It separates communities territorially rather than requiring them to share central authority.
Proportional representation: An electoral system that allocates seats in proportion to parties’ shares of the vote. It can translate community support into representation within shared legislatures.
Elite pact: An agreement among political leaders that establishes rules for cooperation or conflict management. Negotiated commitments often establish the initial terms of shared authority.

Linked from 13 pages