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Encyclopedia > Consensus government

Consensus government is a system of government which does not elect members of political parties but rather rule based on consensus.


In Canada, this system exists in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, territories with large First Peoples population, and was accordingly inspired by Aboriginal systems of governance. In this system, all citizens of a territory are entitled to stand for election in their electoral district, and to vote for an individual as their Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). Once the Legislature is constituted, its members elect the Premier, the Speaker, and the Cabinet from amongst themselves.


Policies advanced by the government are decided upon by majority vote; the government must therefore support policies that please a majority of the members if it wants them to pass.


List of consensus governments:


  Results from FactBites:
 
Usual Suspects: Essay #11, Part 1 (1898 words)
But consensus based processes are highly inappropriate in deliberative assemblies expected to persist in time, where a body of law and regulation about the issues on the table already exists, and some of the parties have personal financial interests.
Even today within deliberative bodies consensus type motions and chair's rulings to adopt by consensus or acclamation; or suspend the rules of voting are considered to be among the most dangerous, and their use is hedged about with a number of special safeguards which do not apply to other motions.
Environmental Consensus groups as envisioned by the congress today would transfer responsibility for federal enforcement of our laws to out-gunned, unfunded environmentalists who, while they may reflect the prevailing majority sentiment of the country, will be a weak minority in any community in which these consensus groups are established.
consensus: Definition, Synonyms and Much More from Answers.com (2033 words)
Consensus upon a particular formal model of consensus can lead to groupthink, by making it harder for those who reject that formal model (and using informal or different models) to be heard.
As this example suggests, the concept of consensus is a particularly important one in the context of society and government, and forms a cornerstone of the concept of democracy.
In some cases, consensus decision-making may encourage groupthink, a situation in which people modify their opinions to reflect what they believe others want them to think, leading to a situation in which a group makes a decision that none of the members individually think is wise.
  More results at FactBites »

 

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