The Challenge of Ethnic Conflict: Democracy in Divided Societies

Political Exclusion and the Lack of Democratisation: Cross-National Evaluation of Nepali Institutions using a Majoritarian–Consensus Framework

“…Majoritarian institutions are a major cause of political exclusion (Gurr, 1993;Horowitz, 1994;Lewis, 1965;UNDP, 2000). Cross-national studies of a large number of countries have confirmed that countries with a firstpast-the-post (FPTP) electoral system and a unitary state face more violent conflict than countries that have adopted some form of proportional electoral system and federalism.…”

“…The proportional representation electoral method, federalism, grand coalitional executives and the constitutional protection of minority rights are often recommended for the accommodation of different groups in multicultural societies. Power-sharing institutions have addressed cultural cleavages in established multicultural democracies whereas problems of exclusion have occurred in many culturally plural countries with majoritarian institutions (Cohen, 1997;Harris & Reilly, 1998;Horowitz, 1994;Lewis, 1965;Taylor, 1998).…”

Democratic Nation Building in the Arc of Crisis: The Case of the Presidential Election in Afghanistan

“…16 Such ethnic conflict may exist for a variety of reasons. Diamond and Plattner posit that ethnic conflict erupts because ethnicity taps cultural and symbolic issues-basic notions of identity and the self, of individual and group worth and entitlement-the conflicts it generates are intrinsically less amenable to compromise than those revolving around material issues .…”

“…In severely divided societies, ethnic identity provides a clear line of demarcation as to who will and who will not be included; these lines seem to be unalterable. 19 If Horowitz's theory is correct, then exclusion produced by ethnic differences is the single most difficult barrier for multiethnic nation-states to overcome. "In deeply ethnically divided societies, in contrast to other lines of cleavages, such as class or occupation, the lines appear to be permanent and all-encompassing, predetermining who will be granted and denied access to power and resources."…”

“…This increases the chance that "ethnic politics" will slow the development of democratic structures. 27 Another obstacle in developing and maintaining a multiethnic democratic state is the sheer difficulty for any regime in promoting an all-inclusive government and superimposing it on an ethically divided society. 28 Democracy, as a concept, stresses majority rule, which in multiethnic societies means there will always be groups that feel left out of the political arena.…”