Elections provide the commonest means of aggregating the preferences of individuals into societal outcomes. However, Arrow's Impossibility Theorem tells us that every electoral system must fail to satisfy one or more criteria of fairness or sensibility. This course broadly explores the political consequences of electoral rules. It will cover elections in both governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as more formal models of social choice. Specific topics will include proportional representation versus first-past-the-post, at-large versus district elections, redistricting, Arrow's Theorem, Duverger's Law, and Black's Median Voting Theorem. Grading will be based on a combination of written assignments and in-class exams.
