Evaluates the nature of the international governance of minority rights in the context of the enlargement of the European Union. This book examines the origin and development of the European Minority Rights Regime paying particular attention to the institutions, policies and actions of European organisations.

Power sharing may be broadly defined as any set of arrangements that prevents one political agency or collective from monopolizing power, whether temporarily or permanently. Ideally, such measures promote inclusiveness or at least the coexistence of divergent cultures within a state. In places deeply divided by national, ethnic, linguistic, or religious conflict, power sharing is the standard prescription for reconciling antagonistic groups, particularly where genocide, expulsion, or coerced assimilation threaten the lives and rights of minority peoples. In recent history, the success record of this measure is mixed."Power Sharing in Deeply Divided Places" features fifteen analytical studies of power-sharing systems, past and present, as well as critical evaluations of the role of electoral systems and courts in their implementation. Interdisciplinary and international in formation and execution, the chapters encompass divided cities such as Belfast, Jerusalem, Kirkuk, and Sarajevo and divided places such as Belgium, Israel/Palestine, Northern Ireland, and South Africa, as well as the Holy Roman Empire, the Saffavid Empire, Aceh in Indonesia, and the European Union.Equally suitable for specialists, teachers, and students, "Power Sharing in Deeply Divided Places" considers the merits and defects of an array of variant systems and provides explanations of their emergence, maintenance, and failings; some essays offer lucid proposals targeted at particular places. While this volume does not presume that power sharing is a panacea for social reconciliation, it does suggest how it can help foster peace and democracy in conflict-torn countries.Contributors: Liam Anderson, Florian Bieber, Scott A. Bollens, Benjamin Braude, Ed Cairns, Randall Collins, Kris Deschouwer, Bernard Grofman, Colin Irwin, Samuel Issacharoff, Allison McCulloch, Joanne McEvoy, Brendan O'Leary, Philippe van Parijs, Alfred Stepan, Ronald Wintrobe.

Evaluates the nature of the international governance of minority rights in the context of the enlargement of the European Union. This book examines the origin and development of the European Minority Rights Regime paying particular attention to the institutions, policies and actions of European organisations.

The political scene in Northern Ireland is constantly evolving. This book reflects the most recent changes and synthesises some of the best thinking on the subject. It provides an overview of the politics of Northern Ireland, including detailed coverage of the institutional structure under the Good Friday Agreement and an evaluation of how the institutions operated in practice.

Opening with the historical context and discussion of the nature of the conflict, the standpoints of unionism, nationalism, loyalism and republicanism are explored. The evolution of political initiatives since the 1970s is traced, leading to the peace process of the 1990s and culminating in the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. The period of devolution in Northern Ireland (1999-2002) will be evaluated, and the book will conclude with coverage of political developments post-suspension, paying particular attention to the on-going debate on changes to the Agreement and the prospects for power-sharing.

Readers will gain:

An impartial understanding of Northern Irish politics

The confidence to use some of the more complicated political concepts in their study of the subject

An ability to go beyond understanding and analyse, question and discuss Northern Irish politics

To achieve peaceful interethnic relations and a stable democracy in the aftermath of violent conflict, institutional designers may task political elites representing previously warring sides with governing a nation together. In "Power-Sharing Executives," Joanna McEvoy asks whether certain institutional rules can promote cooperation between political parties representing the contending groups in a deeply divided place. Examining the different experiences of postconflict power sharing in Bosnia, Macedonia, and Northern Ireland, she finds that with certain incentives and norms in place, power sharing can indeed provide political space for an atmosphere of joint governance or accommodation between groups."Power-Sharing Executives" explains how the institutional design process originated and evolved in each of the three nations and investigates the impact of institutional rules on interethnic cooperation. McEvoy also looks at the role of external actors such as international organizations in persuading political elites to agree to share power and to implement power-sharing peace agreements. This comparative analysis of institutional formation and outcomes shows how coalitions of varying inclusivity or with different rules can bring about a successful if delicate consociationality in practice. "Power-Sharing Executives" offers prescriptions for policymakers facing the challenges of mediating peace in a postconflict society and sheds light on the wider study of peace promotion.