New global dataset analyzes political power sharing, 1975–2010. It disaggregates arrangements into three dimensions: inclusive access; policy autonomy granting (dispersive); and authority constraints.
Contrary to existing literature associating power sharing with democracy and conflict resolution, this study finds:
- Inclusive institutions are widespread in post-conflict states but least tied to electoral democracy;
- Constraining institutions, while rare even in post-conflict contexts, show a strong correlation with democratic systems.
These findings challenge previous assumptions about power sharing's relationship with democracy.
