Power-sharing Practice Flashcards

What is the definition of 'Ethnic' based on the text?

A social division based on shared culture where people believe in their common descent due to similarities of physical type, culture, or both.

Which four countries share borders with Belgium?

France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Luxembourg.

What is the ethnic composition of Belgium's population in terms of language regions?

$59$ per cent live in the Flemish region and speak Dutch, $40$ per cent live in the Wallonia region and speak French, and $1$ per cent speak German.

What was the 'special problem' presented by the capital city Brussels in Belgium?

The Dutch-speaking people constituted a majority in the country but a minority ($20$ per cent) in the capital, while French-speakers were a majority ($80$ per cent) in Brussels.

What are the two major social groups in Sri Lanka and their respective population percentages?

Sinhala-speakers ($74$ per cent) and Tamil-speakers ($18$ per cent).

In the context of Sri Lanka, who are 'Indian Tamils'?

People whose forefathers came from India as plantation workers during the colonial period.

What is 'Majoritarianism'?

A belief that the majority community should be able to rule a country in whichever way it wants, by disregarding the wishes and needs of the minority.

What were the three majoritarian measures taken by the Sri Lankan government after independence?

1. The $1956$ Act recognizing Sinhala as the only official language. 2. Preferential policies for Sinhalas in university and government jobs. 3. A constitutional stipulation to protect and foster Buddhism.

What was the demand of Sri Lankan Tamil political organisations by the $1980s$?

The demand for an independent Tamil Eelam (state) in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka.

How many times was the Belgian Constitution amended between $1970$ and $1993$ to accommodate regional differences?

$4$ times.

According to the Belgian model, how is the Central Government composed regarding language groups?

The number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers shall be equal in the central government.

What is the 'third kind of government' in Belgium and what are its powers?

The 'community government', elected by people belonging to one language community, which has power regarding cultural, educational, and language-related issues.

Contrast 'prudential' and 'moral' reasons for power sharing.

Prudential reasons stress that power sharing will bring out better outcomes (stability, reduced conflict), while moral reasons emphasize the very act of power sharing as valuable and the spirit of democracy.

What is 'horizontal distribution of power' and why is it also called a system of 'checks and balances'?

Power shared among different organs of government (legislature, executive, and judiciary) at the same level; it is called checks and balances because each organ checks the others to ensure no one exercises unlimited power.

What is 'vertical division of power'?

The sharing of power among governments at different levels—such as a general federal (Central/Union) government and provincial or state-level governments.

How do political parties share power directly in a democracy?

Through an alliance to contest elections, which result in a coalition government if the alliance is elected.

Under the Lebanon power-sharing pact, which communities must the