Voting as decision making
Elections are a striking showcase of the way we make decisions in general
2024 is a record year for elections: in over 50 countries, a total of over 2 billion voters will express their preference for candidate legislators and/or heads of state. Elections are a remarkable process with a long history. The ancient Greeks were, as in so many domains, a bit of a pioneer in voting matters, all the way back in 508 BCE. But it wasn’t until, in the 17th century, representative democracy began to emerge in Western Europe and North-America, that the mechanism really started to take off.
For anyone who (like yours truly) has an interest in decision making, elections are a particularly fascinating phenomenon, because they comprise many of the key elements that make decision making the complex affair that it is. It begins even before the choice between parties or candidates arises: to vote, or not to vote — that is the question.
Why vote?
In his book, The myth of the rational voter, economist Bryan Caplan questions the ability of the typical voter to make reasoned choices, especially concerning the economy. In a blogpost from a while ago, I suggested that, when we take a broader view than just the narrow economic self-interest, perhaps the voter does not seem to be so irrational…
