Power-Sharing Practice Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms and concepts from the lecture on power-sharing in Belgium and Sri Lanka.

Ethnic

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

Flemish Region

The region in Belgium where $59$ per cent of the population lives and speaks the Dutch language.

Wallonia Region

The region in Belgium where $40$ per cent of the population lives and speaks French.

Sinhala-speakers

The major social group in Sri Lanka consisting of $74$ per cent of the population, most of whom are Buddhists.

Sri Lankan Tamils

Tamil natives of Sri Lanka who make up $13$ per cent of the population and are concentrated in the north and east of the country.

Indian Tamils

A sub-group of Tamils in Sri Lanka whose forefathers came from India as plantation workers during the colonial period.

Majoritarianism

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

Tamil Eelam

An independent state (eelam) demanded by political organisations in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka by the $1980\text{s}$.

Civil war

A violent conflict between opposing groups within a country that becomes so intense that it appears like a war.

Community government

A third level of government in Belgium elected by Dutch, French, and German-speaking people to handle cultural, educational, and language-related issues.

Prudential

Decisions based on prudence, or on a careful calculation of gains and losses, often contrasted with moral considerations.

Horizontal distribution of power

Power shared among different organs of government at the same level, such as the legislature, executive, and judiciary.

System of checks and balances

An arrangement where each organ of government checks the others, resulting in a balance of power among various institutions.

Federal government

A general government for the entire country, referred to in India as the Central or Union Government.

Vertical division of power

Division of powers involving higher and lower levels of government, such as central, state, and local (municipality and panchayat) levels.

Coalition government

A government formed when two or more political parties form an alliance to share power after no single party gets a clear majority in elections.