Abstract
South Tyrol’s power-sharing system shows how asymmetry in constitutional design contributes to successfully settle a minority-related conflict and exemplifies how a territory effectively builds its subnational governance by sharing powers both horizontally (between language groups in South Tyrol, and as an autonomous province within the special region Trentino-South Tyrol) and vertically (between South Tyrol as the northernmost part of Italy and central authorities in Rome). The numerical strength of German-, Italian- and Ladin speakers is the foundation on which South Tyrol’s autonomy rests upon. In line with consociational theory, South Tyrol’s power-sharing system enshrined in the Second Autonomy Statute (1972) provides a set of rules that combine elements of cultural and territorial self-government and allow to preserve the socio-linguistic identities while fostering intergroup dialogue and cooperation in politics, public administration, and in the judiciary.