Power Sharing in Deeply Divided Places

Joanne McEvoy, Brendan O'Leary, Joanne McEvoy, Brendan O'Leary

• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9780812245011, 9780812245011
• eBook ISBN: 9780812207989
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Comparative Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Power sharing may be broadly defined as any set of arrangements that prevents one political agency or collective from monopolizing power, whether temporarily or permanently. Ideally, such measures promote inclusiveness or at least the coexistence of divergent cultures within a state. In places deeply divided by national, ethnic, linguistic, or religious conflict, power sharing is the standard prescription for reconciling antagonistic groups, particularly where genocide, expulsion, or coerced assimilation threaten the lives and rights of minority peoples. In recent history, the success record of this measure is mixed. Power Sharing in Deeply Divided Places features fifteen analytical studies of power-sharing systems, past and present, as well as critical evaluations of the role of electoral systems and courts in their implementation. Interdisciplinary and international in formation and execution, the chapters encompass divided cities such as Belfast, Jerusalem, Kirkuk, and Sarajevo and divided places such as Belgium, Israel/Palestine, Northern Ireland, and South Africa, as well as the Holy Roman Empire, the Saffavid Empire, Aceh in Indonesia, and the European Union.Equally suitable for specialists, teachers, and students, Power Sharing in Deeply Divided Places considers the merits and defects of an array of variant systems and provides explanations of their emergence, maintenance, and failings; some essays offer lucid proposals targeted at particular places. While this volume does not presume that power sharing is a panacea for social reconciliation, it does suggest how it can help foster peace and democracy in conflict-torn countries. Contributors: Liam Anderson, Florian Bieber, Scott A. Bollens, Benjamin Braude, Ed Cairns, Randall Collins, Kris Deschouwer, Bernard Grofman, Colin Irwin, Samuel Issacharoff, Allison McCulloch, Joanne McEvoy, Brendan O'Leary, Philippe van Parijs, Alfred Stepan, Ronald Wintrobe.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• 1. Power Sharing in Deeply Divided Places: An Advocate’s Introduction
• Part I. Power Sharing and Electoral Systems
• Part II. Historical and Conceptual Forays into Power Sharing
• Part III. Contemporary Power-Sharing Questions
• List of Contributors
• Index
• Acknowledgments