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English and French Canadians, Flemish and Francophone Belgians. The Linguistic Composition of the Canadian and Belgian Federal Cabinet
Reuchamps, Min
2007New England Political Science Association 2007 Annual Meeting
 

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Keywords :
Federalism; Canada; Belgium; Divided Societies; Government
Abstract :
[en] In divided societies, such as Belgium and Canada, the federal principle and consociational power-sharing have been implemented in order to accommodate ethno-linguistic communities. The combination of Daniel Elazar’s seminal work on federalism in plural societies and of Arend Lijphart’s on consociationalism offers a theoretical framework which can be usefully applied to study the distribution of power between the two main ethno-linguistic communities at the highest level of the state. Using the existing “model of points” and the author’s own “model of the weight of ministerial portfolios”, this paper explores the linguistic composition of the federal governments in both countries over the last thirty years (1970-2006). Whereas the Belgian Constitution has required since 1970 that the federal cabinet be staffed by an equal number of Flemish and Francophone ministers, the Canadian Constitution does not require such a linguistic parity and therefore leaves a greater freedom for the composition of the government. On this background, two logics may explain the linguistic composition in the two cases: a logic of transaction between the two main communities and a logic of representation. The paper opens, on the one hand, with the elaboration of the theoretical framework combining the works of Elazar and Lijphart and, on the other hand, with the construction of the two models. The framework and the models are applied to each case, emphasizing the logic of transaction and the logic of representation. On the basis of this examination, this paper concludes by suggesting that Flemish and Francophone Belgians as well and English and French Canadians benefit from the composition of the federal cabinet. The conclusion opens—new—ways and means to hinder political tensions in plural societies through the institutional arrangement.
Research center :
Unité de politologie générale
Disciplines :
Political science, public administration & international relations
Author, co-author :
Reuchamps, Min ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de sciences politiques > Politologie
Language :
English
Title :
English and French Canadians, Flemish and Francophone Belgians. The Linguistic Composition of the Canadian and Belgian Federal Cabinet
Publication date :
27 April 2007
Event name :
New England Political Science Association 2007 Annual Meeting
Event organizer :
New England Political Science Association - NEPSA
Event place :
Newton, United States - Massachusetts
Audience :
International
Funders :
F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique [BE]
ULiège - Université de Liège [BE]
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