Democratic Decision-Making: Consensus Voting For Civic Society And Parliaments

✍ Scribed by Peter Emerson

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 2021
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 120
• Series: SpringerBriefs In Political Science
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book provides a practical guide to how groups of people, everywhere, from the local village council to the United Nations Security Council, can best make collective decisions. By comparing the many voting procedures used in democratic decision-making, it explains why win-or-lose binary voting can be inaccurate and divisive, while the more inclusive preferential points system of voting can be so much more accurate and, therefore, more democratic; indeed, it is a win-win methodology. The text, essential reading for anyone interested in fair and participatory collective decision-making, also compares the most common electoral systems.

✦ Table of Contents

Foreword......Page 7
Preface......Page 10
Contents......Page 17
Abbreviations......Page 20
List of Figures......Page 22
List of Tables......Page 23
List of Graphs......Page 25
1.1 Introduction......Page 26
1.3 The Theory of Majority Voting......Page 27
1.3.1 Doing It All by Halves......Page 28
1.3.2 The Conclusion on Majority Voting......Page 29
1.3.3 The One-Party, One-Option, One-Candidate State......Page 30
1.4 Majority Voting in Practice......Page 31
1.5.1 ‘Option X, Yes-or-No?’......Page 32
References......Page 33
2.1 Introduction......Page 34
2.1.2 The Theory......Page 35
2.3 The Consensors......Page 36
2.5 The Vote......Page 37
2.5.1 The Mathematics of the Vote......Page 38
2.5.2 The Consensus Coefficient......Page 39
2.5.4 The Analysis......Page 40
Reference......Page 41
3.1 Introduction......Page 42
3.2 A Scenario......Page 43
3.2.1 Another Scenario?......Page 44
3.4 The Single-Peaked Curve......Page 45
3.4.1 The Collective Will......Page 47
3.4.2 The Consensus Coefficient......Page 48
3.5.1 Overwhelming Support......Page 49
3.5.2 A Consensus......Page 50
3.5.3 Best Possible Compromise......Page 52
3.5.4 Discord......Page 54
3.6 Analysing the Outcome......Page 55
3.7 Calculating the Exact Outcome......Page 56
3.8 Conclusion......Page 57
4.1 Introduction......Page 58
4.2 The Balanced Debate—the Choice of Options......Page 59
4.2.1 The Balanced Debate—the Number of Options......Page 60
4.4 The Vote......Page 61
4.5.1 Partial Voting......Page 62
4.8 Inter-party Negotiations......Page 64
4.9 Conclusion......Page 65
5.1 Introduction......Page 66
5.3 The Quota Borda System, qbs......Page 67
5.4 The Matrix Vote......Page 69
5.4.1 The Task......Page 71
5.4.3 The Count......Page 72
5.4.4 The Tactics......Page 73
5.4.5 A Real Matrix Vote......Page 74
5.5 Conclusion......Page 75
References......Page 76
6.1 Introduction—A Little History......Page 77
6.2 The Practice......Page 78
6.2.2 The Analyses......Page 79
6.4 Conclusion......Page 82
Reference......Page 85
7.1 Introduction......Page 86
7.1.2 Two-Tier Systems......Page 87
7.1.3 Multiple Systems......Page 88
7.2 An Example......Page 89
7.2.1 The Setting......Page 90
7.2.2 The Analyses......Page 91
7.3 Summary......Page 94
7.4 Conclusion......Page 96
Reference......Page 98
A.1.1 Prior to the Debate......Page 99
A.1.4 After the Vote......Page 100
B.1 The Theory......Page 101
B.2 A Five-Option Ballot......Page 102
B.3 Partial Voting......Page 103
C.1 The Theory......Page 104
Glossary......Page 106
Index......Page 116

✦ Subjects

Electoral Politics