Power Sharing | Class 10 Social Science Notes

Forms of power-sharing

Power-sharing emerged as a response to the outdated notion that all political power should reside in a single person or group. Modern democracies recognize that political power should be distributed widely to reflect the diversity of society and to prevent abuse.

There are four main forms of power-sharing:

1. Horizontal power-sharing among different organs of government: This is the separation of powers among the legislature, executive, and judiciary. Each organ has distinct functions and checks the others to prevent concentration of power. This system of checks and balances ensures accountability and balance.

2. Vertical power-sharing among governments at different levels: Federalism is the division of power between a central government and regional or state governments. This is common in large and diverse countries like India and Belgium. The constitution clearly defines the powers of each level. This division can extend to local governments like municipalities and panchayats.

3. Power-sharing among social groups: In societies with religious, linguistic, or ethnic diversity, power is shared to ensure minority groups have representation and rights. Belgium’s community governments are an example. India uses reserved constituencies to ensure representation of socially weaker sections.

4. Power-sharing among political parties: Democracies feature competition among political parties representing different ideologies and groups. When no party wins a majority, coalition governments are formed, sharing power among parties. Interest groups also influence governance.

These forms of power-sharing collectively uphold democratic values and accommodate diversity.

📊 Diagram: See figure_13: Reigning the Reins; See figure_14: In my school, the class monitor changes every month. Is that what you call a power sharing arrangement?

🔗 Connection: Prepares for examples and exercises on forms of power-sharing.