consensus (system)

In contrast to a majoritarian or adversarial system , a consensus system aims to disperse power among a number of political institutions, actors and parties so that government policy requires compromise and the accommodation of a range of views before action can be taken.  Consensus systems do not regard bare majority support as sufficient to legitimize government action—broader support is required so that as many groups as possible can be persuaded of the merits of the action.  Electoral systems with proportional representation are seen as consensus systems because they are more likely to produce coalition governments and the need for parties to compromise over their policies.