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Critique and comment: Proof of a theorem on majority rule
Author(s) -
Taylor Michael
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
behavioral science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1099-1743
pISSN - 0005-7940
DOI - 10.1002/bs.3830140307
Subject(s) - majority rule , simple (philosophy) , mathematical economics , motion (physics) , decision rule , admissible decision rule , mathematics , computer science , calculus (dental) , artificial intelligence , epistemology , philosophy , decision analysis , business decision mapping , evidential reasoning approach , medicine , dentistry
A mathematical proof is presented of a result due to Douglas Rae: simple majority rule is the unique decision rule (from among all possible decision rules, k = 1, 2, ‐, n in a committee of size n ) which minimized the probability that a typical member will support a motion which the committee rejects or oppose a motion which is accepted, if he assumes that future preferences are unknown and that members vote (for or against) independently.