Power Sharing

Grade 10
Class Notes

01
 Concepts Covered

1 Power Sharing

What is power Case study of Majoritarian

sharing? Sri Lanka government

Why is power Case study of

sharing Belgium Accommodation
desirable?

Distribution
Horizontal
of power
distribution of
among
power
social groups

Forms of
power sharing

Distribution
among political Vertical
parties and distribution of
pressure power
groups

02
 Power Sharing

Distribution of power between different organs and levels of the

government so that power is not concentrated in the hands
of a few.

Case study: Sri Lanka

Situation in Sri Lanka

Majoritarian measures taken

• Sinhala was declared the only official language of Sri
Lanka.
• The new constitution aimed to protect and foster
Buddhism.
• Policies favoured Sinhala applicants in university and
government jobs.

Outcomes
• The Sri Lankan Tamils demanded recognition of Tamil
as an official language; equal opportunity; regional
autonomy
• This led to a civil war that ended in 2009.
• It resulted in thousands of deaths and many Tamil
families having to migrate.

03
 Case study: Belgium

Situation in Belgium Situation in Brussels

Flemish region
(population): 59%
French Dutch
Language: Dutch
80% 20%
Wallonia region
(population): 40%
Language: French

Others 1%

Issues

The French-speaking people were in the minority, but

they were financially and educationally well-off when
compared to the Dutch-speaking people in Brussels.

Accommodation measures
• The number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers
should be equal in the central government.
• Special laws required the support of a majority of the
members from each linguistic group.
• Separate government in Brussels with equal
representation for the French and Dutch communities.
• A third type of government, a community government,
was also introduced.

04
 Why is power sharing desirable?

It helps to reduce
the possibility of
conflict between
Prudential
social groups.

Power sharing contributes to

the very spirit of democracy. A
legitimate government is one
in which citizens can
Moral
participate and acquire a
stake in the system.

Forms of power sharing

Distribution of Horizontal
power among distribution of
social groups power

Forms of
power sharing

Distribution
among political Vertical
parties and distribution of
pressure power
groups

05
 Forms of Power Sharing

Horizontal distribution of power

Power is shared among different organs of

the government such as legislature,
executive, and judiciary. This arrangement
results in balance of power among different
institutions.

Vertical distribution of power

Power can be shared among governments

at different levels such as centre and state.
In India, we follow the federal structure of
government.

Distribution among social groups

Power may also be shared among different

social groups, such as religious and
linguistic groups. This method gives equal
share of power to the minority groups.

Distribution among political parties,

pressure groups, and movements

Power sharing can be seen in coalition

governments. It is also seen in pressure
groups and interest groups such
as businessmen, traders, and industrialists.

06