Power-sharing among social groups

Polity & Governance glossary

Topic: Power-sharing: Majoritarianism versus Accommodation · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 1 "Power-sharing"

Meaning

Power-sharing among social groups means giving religious and linguistic groups, weaker sections and women a share in legislatures and administration. The aim is to stop any group from feeling shut out of power. In India this is done through reserved seats for SCs and STs (Arts. 330, 332), one-third of seats in panchayats and municipalities for women (Arts. 243D, 243T), and the rights of minorities (Arts. 29-30). Such arrangements help diverse groups live together in one country.

Example

India reserves 84 Lok Sabha seats for SCs and 47 for STs. Reserved constituencies are seats where only candidates from these groups can stand. The 104th Amendment (2019) extended this reservation to 2030. Belgium's community government is another example. It is elected by the people of one language group wherever they live, and it handles matters of culture, education and language.

Don't confuse with

  • Consociational democracy: this is a fuller model in which posts are fixed by community. In Lebanon, for example, the President must be a Maronite Christian. India shares power with groups but never reserves executive posts by community.

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