Power Sharing and Democracy in Post-Civil War States
The Art of the Possible

Provides empirical evidence that power-sharing measures used to end civil wars can help facilitate a transition to minimalist democracy.

Caroline A. Hartzell (Author), Matthew Hoddie (Author)

9781108478038, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 11 June 2020

276 pages, 38 b/w illus.
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.1 cm, 0.6 kg

'This is a very interesting and pedagogical account on power sharing and democracy in post-civil war states.' Anna Jarstad, Journal of Peace Research

Power Sharing and Democracy in Post-Civil War States examines the challenge of promoting democracy in the aftermath of civil war. Hartzell and Hoddie argue that minimalist democracy is the most realistic form of democracy to which states emerging from civil war violence can aspire. The adoption of power-sharing institutions within civil war settlements helps mitigate insecurity and facilitate democracy's emergence. Power sharing promotes 'democratization from above' by limiting the capacity of the state to engage in predatory behavior, and 'democratization from below' by empowering citizens to participate in politics. Drawing on cross-national and case study evidence, Hartzell and Hoddie find that post-civil war countries that adopt extensive power sharing are ultimately more successful in transitioning to minimalist democracy than countries that do not. Power Sharing and Democracy in Post-Civil War States presents a new and hopeful understanding of what democracy can look like and how it can be fostered.

Part I. From Civil War to Democracy: Introduction and Theory: 1. Introduction
2. Art of the state: democracy and power sharing in deeply-divided societies
3. State of the art: power sharing, democracy, and democratization in scholarship and practice
4. Art of the possible: power sharing, democratic transition, and democratization in post-civil war states
Part II. Evidence: 5. Power sharing, the transition to minimalist democracy, and Post-conflict democratization
6. Power sharing and 'democratization from above'
7. Power sharing and 'democratization from below'
Part III. Conclusion
8. Conclusions.

Subject Areas: International organisations & institutions [LBBU], International relations [JPS], Comparative politics [JPB]