Constitutional Uncertainties

2020 ◽  
pp. 129-154
Author(s):  
Albert Weale
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Public Choice ◽  
Decision Rules ◽  
Original Position ◽  
High Threshold ◽  
Simple Majority ◽  
Consociational Democracy ◽  
Majority Principle ◽  
Low Threshold ◽  
Modern Era

The Calculus of Consent by Buchanan and Tullock was the first book to apply the contract method to questions of public choice, particularly in respect of voting, in the modern era. Their contractual construction imagines individuals in an original position of a laissez-faire economy, where the individuals have to determine rules for the making of collective choices in respect of the reduction of economic externalities and the provision of public goods. Those individuals calculate the costs and benefits of different decision rules. Faced with proposals with which they disagree, individuals would prefer a high threshold of agreement; faced with proposals with which they agree, individuals would prefer a low threshold of agreement. The constitutional question such individuals confront is to determine a general decision rule when they are uncertain about the future stream of choices the members of their community will face. Buchanan and Tullock are defended against the criticism that their original position lacks justification and that it presupposes a requirement of unanimity to secure change. However, they are less convincing in their attack on the simple majority principle, and in their attempt to show that supermajority decision-making does not give too much power to minorities. Indeed, sometimes the supermajority devices they support should be used to protect minorities, as shown in the literature on consociational democracy.

Decision Making and Mania

1999 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Leahy
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Portfolio Theory ◽  
High Threshold ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Risk Averse ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Prediction And Control ◽  
Low Threshold ◽  
Stop Loss ◽  
And Control

Individuals contemplate a number of factors in making decisions, including their tolerance of risk, their emphasis on maximizing gains, and their perception of current and future resources. I have proposed that depressed individuals utilize a scarcity and depletion “portfolio theory,” such that they place less emphasis on maximizing gains, see themselves as having fewer resources (currently and in the future), and view outcomes as unpredictable and uncontrollable. Depressed individuals suffer losses more and enjoy gains less, stop-out early, have a low threshold for defining loss and a high threshold for defining gain, and are risk-averse. This “portfolio theory” is extended to a model of manic decision making. Individuals in a manic phase are viewed as operating with “market assumptions” of abundance and magnification, rather than scarcity and depletion. Specifically, manic individuals are described here as “risk-lovers” who view themselves as having unlimited current and future resources, believe they have close to infallible prediction and control of outcomes, place high hedonic utility on gains, and have low dis-utility for losses. In addition, their resistance to helplessness is attributed to their low stop-loss criterion, their high threshold for defining loss and low threshold for defining gain, and their discounting of regret. Theoretical, empirical and clinical implications are developed from this conceptualization.

Collective Decision-making: FIFA from the Perspective of Public Choice

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Follert ◽  
Lukas Richau ◽  
Eike Emrich ◽  
Christian Pierdzioch
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Public Choice ◽  
Choice Theory ◽  
Collective Decision ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Collective Decision Making ◽  
Public Choice Theory ◽  
World Cup ◽  
The World ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractVarious scandals have shaken public confidence in football's global governing body, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). It is evident that decision-making within such a collective provides incentives for corruption. We apply the Buchanan-Tullock model that is known from Public Choice theory to study collective decision-making within FIFA. On the basis of this theoretical model, we develop specific proposals that can contribute to combating corruption. Three core aspects are discussed: the selection of the World Cup host, transparency in the allocation of budgets, and clear guidelines for FIFA officials and bodies with regard to their rights and accountability. Our insights can contribute to a better understanding of collective decision making in heterogenous groups.

Chronic Estrogen Sensitizes a Subset of Mechanosensitive Afferents Innervating the Uterine Cervix

2005 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 2167-2173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baogang Liu ◽  
James C. Eisenach ◽  
Chuanyao Tong
Keyword(s):  
Spontaneous Activity ◽  
Uterine Cervix ◽  
Firing Frequency ◽  
High Threshold ◽  
Group 13 ◽  
Ovx Rats ◽  
Afferent Fibers ◽  
Low Threshold ◽  
Group 5 ◽  
Afferent Response

Estrogen increases reflex nocifensive responses to distension of the uterus and the urinary bladder, but estrogen's effects on afferent response to distension of the uterine cervix, the site of obstetric and some gynecologic pain, has not been studied. Here, single fiber recording of hypogastric nerve responses to uterine cervical distension were obtained from ovariectomized (OVX) rats and OVX rats treated with estrogen (ES). Spontaneous activity was greater in the ES group (13 of 24 units; 54%) than in the OVX group (6 of 27 units; 22%). ES differentially altered the response of low- and high-threshold units to distension. For high-threshold units, firing frequency was increased two- to fourfold with 60–100 gm distension in ES compared with OVX groups ( P < 0.05). In contrast, the response of low-threshold units to distension was not altered by ES. About one-half of units tested in each group responded to a temperature increase from 35 to 49°C. A greater proportion of thermosensitive units were also mechanosensitive in the ES group (7 of 8 afferents, 88%) than in the OVX group (5 of 11 afferents, 45%). Acute application of ES in OVX rats failed to evoke or increase distension-induced responses. These data show the polymodal nature of afferent fibers innervating the uterine cervix. Increased spontaneous activity with ES may play a part in remodeling of the cervical tissue, whereas selective sensitization of high-threshold units by ES might underlie increased pain responses to cervical distension. Failure of acute ES treatment to mimic this suggests a genomic effect.

The role of agency in project initiation decisions

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 518-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Mullaly
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Rules ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Organizational Dynamics ◽  
Substantive Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Board Level

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of decision rules and agency in supporting project initiation decisions, and the influences of agency on decision-making effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – The study this paper is based upon used grounded theory methodology, and sought to understand the influences of individual decision makers on project initiation decisions within organizations. Data collection involved 28 participants who were involved in project initiation decisions within their organizations, who discussed the process of project initiation in their organization and their role within that process. Findings – The study demonstrates that the overall effectiveness of project initiation decisions is a product of agency, process effectiveness or rule effectiveness. The employment of agency can have a direct influence on decision-making effectiveness, it can compensate for organizational inadequacies of a process or political nature, and it can be constrained in the evidence of formal and effective organizational practices. Research limitations/implications – While agency was recognized by all participants, there are clearly circumstances where actors perceive the ability to exercise agency to be externally constrained. The study is exploratory, contributing to the development of substantive theory. Theory testing as well as a more in-depth investigation of the underlying drivers of agency would be valuable. Practical implications – The study provides executives and individuals supporting the initiation of projects with insights on how to effectively influence the effectiveness of project initiation decisions, and the degree to which personal characteristics influence organizational dynamics. Originality/value – Most discussions of agency has been framed the subject as an executive- or board-level phenomenon. The current study demonstrates that agency is in fact being perceived and operationalized at all levels. Those demonstrating agency in the majority of instances in this study do so in exercising stewardship behaviours. This has important implications for how agency is perceived by executives, and by how agency is exercised by actors at all levels of the organization.

Decision rules, escalation of commitment and sensitivity to framing in group decision-making

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 1649-1668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petru Lucian Curseu ◽  
Sandra G. L. Schruijer ◽  
Oana Catalina Fodor
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Rule ◽  
Group Decision Making ◽  
Group Decision ◽  
Decision Rules ◽  
Escalation Of Commitment ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Collaborative Decision

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the influence of collaborative and consultative decision rules on groups’ sensitivity to framing effect (FE) and escalation of commitment (EOC). Design/methodology/approach – In an experimental study (using a sample of 233 professionals with project management experience), the authors test the effects of collaborative and consultative decision rules on groups’ sensitivity to EOC and FE. The authors use four group decision-making tasks to evaluate decision consistency across gain/loss framed decision situations and six decision tasks to evaluate EOC for money as well as time as resources previously invested in the initial decisions. Findings – The results show that the collaborative decision rule increases sensitivity to EOC when financial resources are involved and decreases sensitivity to EOC when time is of essence. Moreover, the authors show that the collaborative decision rule decreases sensitivity to FE in group decision making. Research limitations/implications – The results have important implications for group rationality as an emergent group level competence by extending the insights concerning the impact of decision rules on emergent group level cognitive competencies. Due to the experimental nature of the design, the authors can probe the causal relations between the investigated variables, yet the authors cannot generalize the results to other settings. Practical implications – Managers can use the insights of this study in order to optimize the functioning of decision-making groups and to reduce their sensitivity to FEs and EOC. Originality/value – The study extends the research on group rationality and it is one of the few experimental attempts used to understand the role of decision rules on emergent group level rationality.

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