ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses how with the increase of negotiated settlements to civil wars in the past two decades, power-sharing arrangements have proliferated. In Africa, power sharing is a pre-valent tool of conflict resolution: Kenya's 2008 and Zimbabwe's 2009 power-sharing agreements are prime examples of the phenomenon. The chapter presents the key characteristics of power-sharing arrangements and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of such mechanisms. It argues that, indeed, power-sharing arrangements are often necessary for settlements to be reached. The chapter also argues that such arrangements should be transitional and that, during transitional periods, efforts should be made to expand political articipation beyond the members of power-sharing governments. It examines the opportunities and impediments that power-sharing arrangements present to the durability of peace. Advocates of power-sharing institutions argue that these institutions promote moderate behaviour among contending groups by encouraging a positive-sum perception of politics.
