Power sharing is desirable in a democracy list out any 3 reasons

Power-sharing is a political arrangement in which different or opposing groups take part in the government together.

In modern democracies, power sharing can be seen taking the following forms:

  • Organs of Government: In democracy, power is shared among Legislature, Executive and Judiciary. This is known as distribution of power, it allows different organs of government placed at the same level to exercise different powers. No organ can exercise unlimited power as each organ checks the others.
  • Governments at different levels: In federal form of government, power is shared between the central and state governments. In India there is another lower level of government -local self-government. This is called vertical division of government.
  • Social Groups: Power may also be shared among different social groups such as religious and linguistic groups. In India there are constitutional and legal arrangements whereby socially weaker sections and women are represented in the legislatures and administration.

Why power sharing is desirable?


Question: Why Power sharing desirable?
Answer: Power sharing is desirable because of the following reasons:

  • Prudential reasons: It helps reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups. It gives space to each and every social group in the democracy.
  • Moral reasons: Power sharing is the spirit of democracy. A legitimate government is one where citizens through participation acquire a stake in the system.


Question: What is power sharing in a democracy? Explain with examples.
Answer: Power Sharing is a term which is used to describe a system of governance in which all major segments of society are provided a permanent share of power.

Power sharing is desirable because of the following reasons.

  1. Power sharing helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups. Power sharing is a good way to ensure the stability of political order as social conflict often leads to violence and political instability.
  2. Imposing the will of the majority community over others may look like an attractive option in the short run, but in the long run it determines the unity of the nation. Tyranny of the majority is not only oppressive for the minority but it also brings ruin to the majority.
  3. The very spirit of democracy is power sharing. A democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise, and who have to live with its effects. Citizens of a country have a right to be consulted on how they are being governed. A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a stake in the system.

Question: What are the different forms of power sharing in modern democracies? Give an example of each of these.

Answer: Different forms of power sharing in modern democracies are as follows:

  1. Power sharing in different organs of government: Example: power sharing between legislature and executive
  2. Power sharing at different levels of government: Example: power sharing between Union government and state government.
  3. Power sharing among social groups: Example: Reservation in government jobs for OBCs and SCs & STs.
  4. Power sharing among various pressure groups: Example: Representative of trade union being consulted while making a new labour law.

Question:Why power sharing is desirable? Explain giving any three prudential and moral reasons.

Answer: Power sharing is desirable in a democracy because:

  • It helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups. Since social conflict often leads to violence and political instability.
  • It is a good way to ensure the stability of political order.
  • Imposing the will of majority, community over others may look like an attractive option in the short run, but in the long run it undermines the unity of the nation.

  • Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. A democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise and who have to live with its effect.
  • People have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed.
  • A legitimate government is one where citizens through participation, acquire a stake in the system.

Tags Class 10 - Civics India Quetions

Chapter : 1. Power Sharing

Why power sharing is desirable
Comparison : In Belgium leaders realised that by a mutual arrangement for sharing power unity in the country was possible. In Sri Lanka the majority community wanted to dominate & refused to share power. This hindered the unity of the country.

Power sharing is good because :

1. It helps to reduce the conflict between social groups. 2. It is a good way to ensure the stability of political order. 3. It is good for democracy. It is the spirit of democracy because people have the right to be consulted on how they are to be governed.

4. The first point is called prudential because it states that power sharing will bring out better outcomes.


5. Moral reasons emphasises the very act of power sharing as valuable.

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Power-sharing has its own value in a democracy. It is desirable due to the following reasons-

Prudential reasons and Moral reasons

Prudential reasons are the reasons which tell us that Power sharing is reasonable, wisely chosen or necessary for a society or a country

a) power-sharing reduces the possibility of conflicts between the social groups.

In each country, There are many communities based on different religions, different castes and different languages. Sometimes people who belong to the Majority community start dominating or harming the minorities, this domination can cause conflict and disharmony in society, as we saw what happened in Sri Lanka. Sinhalese, the majority of Sri Lanka dominated minorities, and the struggle between the two communities got violent and soon turned into a civil war. On the other hand, we found that the Belgium government accommodate its ethnic problem successfully by sharing political power.

thus power-sharing is necessary to reduce the possibility of conflicts between social groups

b) Power-sharing is a good way to ensure the stability of political order.

If Government works in favour of the majority and ignore minorities views or if every community does not get treated equally due to the lack of power-sharing, discrimination against minorities can lead to violence and increases the risk of political instability in a country.

Power-sharing among different units of the government is a way to respect the feelings of every community in a country.

c) Power-sharing maintains the unity of the nation.

Lack of power-sharing not only increases the chances of conflicting between the minority and majority but also damages the unity and the progress of the country.

But when a democratic country involves sharing power different manner, and both the majority and the minority views are taken into account, the people of all communities are more satisfied with the government. The government can function smoothly to achieve the progress and unity of the Nation.

Moral reasons are the reasons which are based on moral considerations.

a) Power sharing is a very spirit of democracy.

A country is a democratic country when democratic principles are adopted, and there would be a kind of arrangement in which all the people of different groups, either the majority or minority are being treated equally. Everyone must have a role in decision making. Each person must get the opportunity to say what they think.

Suppressing the minority by the majority is against the spirit of democracy. To maintain a very spirit of democracy, Power sharing is essential.

b) People have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed.

Democracy is the rule of the people, by the people and for the people. In a democracy, people must be consulted for how to be governed, and If this won’t be there, then it can not be considered a democracy or the federal government

If the Political- Power is concentrated in one or a few hands, it will be not useful for the overall development of a country because the leaders of central government may are not aware of the problems of local people. Mostly only local leaders can recognize the problems of the people and help to get a proper solution.

Class-10th, Civics, Chapter-1 Power Sharing

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