Power Sharing Flashcards
(34 cards)
Why is power shared ?
To avoid corruption
And division causes less load and good efficiency
Describe Belgium location
Belgium is a small country in Europe with a population of 1 cr
Share borders with france netherlands germany and Luxembourg
What is the ethnic composition of Belgium throughout the country ?
The Dutch were in the majority 59% living in Flemish region
The French 🍟 were 40 % living in the Walloria region
Germans were 1%
What was the capital of Belgium
Brussels
Describe the ethnic composition of Brussels
Dutch were 20%
French were 80%
What caused tension in Belgium?
The Dutch were in the majority in the country but the French were in majority in Brussels
French were rich and powerful
Describe srilanka location
Island nation near tamil nadu
Population is 2 cr and diverse
What was the ethnic composition of Srilanka based on language?
74%Sinhala
18% Tamil - 13% Sri Lankan tamils and 5% Indian Tamils
What was the religious composition of Srilanka
The Buddhist was 74% (Sinhala )
The Christian were 7%
Muslims and Hindus were 19%
What were the steps taken by Srilankan government
JLR
Job opportunities to only Sinhala
Sinhala became official language
Buddhist become official religion
What was the reaction of Tamils to Sri Lanka suppression policy ?
Launched parties and struggle for
- Recognition of Tamil language
-Regionaal autonomy
- Equal opportunity
Demanded different Tamil state
Their demands weren’t listened to and they felt like outsiders which resulted in a civil war where thousands of people died.
Why should the power not be in the hands of a few ?
Corruption
Poor decisions
Poor execution
What is the difference between majoritarianism and democracy?
If A rules the country keeping both A and B equal then it’s democracy but if A suppress B who is in minority then it is majoritarianism
What was the accommodation in Belgium??
In Belgium disregarding the difference the government took measures to balance the differences between people
Amended the constitution 4 times to solve the problem
What are the elements of the Belgium Model ?
Both french and Dutch had equal rights in the govt
Brussels government with equal representation of French and Dutch
Division of power into state govt
French Dutch and German communities were formed so that internal community issues can be solved
What was the result of Belgium Model ?
Many countries of Europe came together to form the European union at Brussels as the headquarters
Why is power sharing desirable?
Prudential reason or practical reason - no conflicts between social community
Moral reason - emotional reason because power sharing is the spirit of democracy
What are the forms of power sharing ??
Vertical - different amount of power some have more someone has less based on tiers or levels
Central ->State->Local
Horizontal - check and balance the form of power sharing the same amount of power in each organ
Judiciary legislative and executive
Among social groups - community government having community leaders of community to solve internal conflict
Among political parties pressure groups and movement - Power sharing in coalition government pressure groups and movement can pressure the govt to change law
What is power sharing?
Power sharing is the distribution of power among different organs, levels, and social groups in a democracy to avoid the concentration of power.
Why is the community government in Belgium a unique example of power sharing?
It gives cultural autonomy to each linguistic group, regardless of region, maintaining unity without forcing uniformity.
Did Sri Lanka fail in power sharing? Why?
Yes, it followed majoritarianism, ignoring minority rights → conflict.
Assertion (A): Power sharing is good for democracy.
Reason (R): It helps reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups.
Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation
Assertion (A): In Belgium, the majority community always dominated the government.
Reason (R): Belgium had a unitary form of government.
A is false, R is false
Assertion (A): Sri Lanka established Sinhala as the only official language.
Reason (R): Sri Lanka wanted to ensure equality among all linguistic groups.
A is true, R is false