Africa’s power sharing institutions as a response to insecurity: Assurance without deterrence

Power sharing arrangements are currently the preferred strategy for assuring weaker parties about their security and well-being after civil wars. Such institutions are reassuring to weaker parties that the political majority will not capture the state and threaten their basic interests. Because citizens are assured that their intermediaries will represent them within the ruling coalition, they have an incentive to commit to agreements. However, a dilemma emerges during implementation: if power sharing systems deter violence in the short term, they may exacerbate it in the long term. The effect can be to increase insecurity and instability over time.