consociationalism

consociational +‎ -ism

consociationalism (uncountable)

1. Political consociation; government through guaranteed group representation.
   • 1995, Hudson Meadwell, 8: Quebec Independence and Secession in the Developed West, Sukumar Periwal (editor), Notions of Nationalism, page 140,

     Where consociationalism and federalism overlay one another, moreover, the continuity of the latter depends on the stability of consociationalism.

   • 1996, Ian Shapiro, Democracy's Place: Air Power and Coercion in War‎, page 102:

     Consociationalism has been described by its best-known proponent as a system of government based on a "cartel of elites."

   • 2002, Thomas G. Mitchell, Indispensable Traitors: Liberal Parties in Settler Conflicts‎, page 133:

     The main weakness of consociationalism is that its main successful cases have taken place in Western Europe among groups that have not been in open military conflict with each other. It cannot be established that those societies would not have remained peaceful without consociationalism.