Balancing democracy: majoritarianism versus expression of preference intensity

Asaf D. M. Nitzan () and Shmuel Nitzan
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Public Choice, 2024, vol. 200, issue 1, No 7, 149-171

Abstract: Abstract This paper evaluates three prominent voting systems: the Majority Rule (MR), Borda Rule (BR), and Plurality Rule (PR). Our analysis centers on the susceptibilities of each system to potential transgressions of two foundational principles: the respect for majority preference (majoritarianism) and the acknowledgment of the intensity of individual preferences. We operationalize the concept of 'cost' as the expected deviation from the aforementioned principles. A comparative assessment of MR, BR, and PR is undertaken in terms of their costs. Our findings underscore the superiority of PR over MR, whilst also highlighting the comparative advantage of MR against BR.

Keywords: Majority principle; Preference intensity; Scoring rules; Majority rule; Plurality rule; Borda rule; Expected erosion of a principle (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s11127-024-01146-4

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