Varför dela makten? En studie av consociationalism och Democratic Unionist Partys beslut att delta i regering på Nordirland.

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On the 8th of May 2007 a local power-sharing goverment consisting of Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) was formed in Northern Ireland. The aim of this dissertation is to explore why the DUP, who in the past have opposed all forms of power-sharing decided to form a goverment and take active part in a power-sharing agreement. The study is based on a consociational theoretical framework developed by Arend Lijphart and further developed in a Northern Irish context by John McGarry and Brendan O'Leary. Using this theory the study seeks to understand the broad conditions surrounding the DUP's power-sharing. After a description of consociational theory and the road leading up to the Belfast Agreement,three possible explanations for power-sharing, based on consociational theory are discussed. Two possible explanations are accepted as valid - firstly, the DUP elite's predominance in the Protestant bloc, and secondly, the importance of security and control over Sinn Fein as important incentives for participation in power-sharing. However, the third proposed explanation is dismissed ? namely ...