On the Possibility of Faithfully Representative Committees

1986 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 863-879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott L. Feld ◽  
Bernard Grofman
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Preferences ◽  
Proportional Representation ◽  
Faithful Representation ◽  
Weighted Voting ◽  
Voting Rule ◽  
The World ◽  
Small Committee ◽  
Ideological Perspective

By faithful representation we mean the delegation of decision making to a relatively small committee that, using a weighted voting rule, will for each pair of alternatives make sincere choices identical to those that would be made by the society as a whole, and with the same vote margins. We show that for any society, no matter how large, faithful representation is possible by a committee with no more than m(m − 1)/2 members, where m is the number of alternatives. We also show that for any society, no matter how nonideological the bulk of its electorate, social preferences can be faithfully represented by a committee whose members all have singlepeaked or single-troughed preferences. Thus, all societies can be faithfully represented by a committee whose members see the world in unidimensional terms—that is, representatives can share a coherent ideological perspective even though the electorates they represent lack such a perspective. We further show that the usual mechanisms of proportional representation and the modified form of proportional representation recently proposed by Chamberlin and Courant (1983) do not guarantee faithful representation, and we discuss mechanisms that may provide faithful representation, even in a context in which new alternatives can arise.

scholarly journals Bringing Together Economics and Psychology: Theoretical and Practical Aspects (Nobel Prize in Economics 2017)

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-109
Author(s):  
D. I. Simochkin
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Nobel Prize ◽  
Social Preferences ◽  
Economic Science ◽  
Economic Agents ◽  
The Past ◽  
Economic Decision Making ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
The World ◽  
World Economic

Behavioral economics is a field of research, where the analytical possibilities of psychology science are applied to the analysis of economic decision-making. This approach allows more in-depth analysis of the decision-making process of economic agents and opens up new opportunities for research aimed at increasing overall social benefits.This article examines the studies of Richard Thaler, noted by the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2017, devoted to the study of three psychological features of economic man which systematically affect the behavior of economic agents: limited rationality, the perception of justice (social preferences), and the problem of selfcontrol.Using the system approach, the author sets a goal to carry out a complex analysis of the theoretical, methodological and practical works of the Nobel Prize Laureate, that have received world recognition. The attention is also focused on the awarded Nobel Prize in connection with the peculiarities of the Nobel Committee’s policy of awarding that has been formed over the past few years, within the framework of the development of the world economic science.The article systematizes Thaler’s scientific contribution to economics. In addition, it concludes that awarding of the Nobel Prize in 2017 fits into the overall picture of awards in the last few years. At the same time, it notes one of the main directions of the Nobel Committee’s activities related to the “definition” of such research results and programs that could rehabilitate economic science after the past economic crisis and prevent further increase in the uncertainty of the world economic system. 

Medical Diagnosis from a Clinician’s Point of View

1978 ◽  
Vol 17 (01) ◽  
pp. 28-35
Author(s):  
F. T. De Dombal
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Medical Diagnosis ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Joint Research ◽  
The World

This paper discusses medical diagnosis from the clinicians point of view. The aim of the paper is to identify areas where computer science and information science may be of help to the practising clinician. Collection of data, analysis, and decision-making are discussed in turn. Finally, some specific recommendations are made for further joint research on the basis of experience around the world to date.

“Little Plants in the Country”: Henry Ford's Village Industries and the Beginning of Decentralized Technology in Modern America

Prospects ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 181-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard P. Segal
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
New York ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Real Estate ◽  
New York Times ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physical Proximity ◽  
The World ◽  
Word Processors

“Technology Spurs Decentralization Across the Country.” So reads a 1984 New York Times article on real-estate trends in the United States. The contemporary revolution in information processing and transmittal now allows large businesses and other institutions to disperse their offices and other facilities across the country, even across the world, without loss of the policy- and decision-making abilities formerly requiring regular physical proximity. Thanks to computers, word processors, and the like, decentralization has become a fact of life in America and other highly technological societies.

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.

scholarly journals A Decision-Making Approach Based on TOPSIS Method for Ranking Smart Cities in the Context of Urban Energy

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2691
Author(s):  
Sławomira Hajduk ◽  
Dorota Jelonek
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Linear Ordering ◽  
Topsis Method ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
The World ◽  
Urban Energy ◽  
World Council ◽  
Topsis Technique

This paper presents the use of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) for the evaluation of smart cities. During the development of the method, the importance of the decision-making approach in the linear ordering of cities was presented. The method of using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was proposed for the preparation of ranking. The method was verified by the application in the measurement of energy performance in smart cities. The authors conducted a literature review of research papers related to urban energy and MCDM published in the period from 2010 to 2020. The paper uses data from the World Council on City Data (WCCD). The research conducted allowed for the identification of the most popular MCDM techniques in the field of urban energy such as TOPSIS, AHP and DEA. The TOPSIS technique was used to organize and group the analyzed cities. Porto took the top position, whereas Buenos Aries was the last.

scholarly journals Decision Making in Committees: Transparency, Reputation, and Voting Rules

2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilat Levy
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Career Concerns ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Voting Rules ◽  
The Public ◽  
Voting Rule ◽  
The Right

In this paper I analyze the effect of transparency on decision making in committees. I focus on committees whose members are motivated by career concerns. The main result is that when the decision-making process is secretive (when individual votes are not revealed to the public), committee members comply with preexisting biases. For example, if the voting rule demands a supermajority to accept a reform, individuals vote more often against reforms. Transparent committees are therefore more likely to accept reforms. I also find that coupled with the right voting rule, a secretive procedure may induce better decisions than a transparent one. (JEL D71, D72)

Democracy's Wisdom: An Aristotelian Middle Way for Collective Judgment

2013 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOSIAH OBER
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Common Interest ◽  
Legislative Process ◽  
Domain Experts ◽  
Middle Way ◽  
Satisfactory Model ◽  
Collective Judgment ◽  
The World ◽  
Epistemic Approach ◽  
Multiple Domains

A satisfactory model of decision-making in an epistemic democracy must respect democratic values, while advancing citizens’ interests, by taking account of relevant knowledge about the world. Analysis of passages in Aristotle and legislative process in classical Athens points to a “middle way” between independent-guess aggregation and deliberation: an epistemic approach to decision-making that offers a satisfactory model of collective judgment that is both time-sensitive and capable of setting agendas endogenously. By aggregating expertise across multiple domains, Relevant Expertise Aggregation (REA) enables a body of minimally competent voters to make superior choices among multiple options, on matters of common interest. REA differs from a standard Condorcet jury in combining deliberation with voting based on judgments about the reputations and arguments of domain-experts.

scholarly journals Punching above Weight: How the African Union Commission Exercises Agency in Politics

2021 ◽  
pp. 000203972199039
Author(s):  
Thomas Kwasi Tieku
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Agenda Setting ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
International System ◽  
African Union ◽  
African Continent ◽  
International Organisations ◽  
The World ◽  
International Issues ◽  
Decision Making Rule

Conventional narratives suggest that the African Union Commission (AUC), like most international public administrations and international organisations (IOs) housed in the less materially endowed regions of the world, exercises no meaningful agency on international issues. This article however seeks to show that the AUC is neither a glorified messenger and docile follower of orders of governments nor is it an empty vessel that timidly goes where the wind of governments blows. Rather, the AUC exercises significant agency on issues that affect not just the African continent but also the broader international system. The AUC is often at the heart of international agenda-setting, norm development, decision-making, rule creation, policy development, and it sometimes offer strategic leadership. The article demonstrates six pathways through which the AUC acts like a tail wagging a dog.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document