Yes-No Voting Systems & Power Indices

ECON 451: Public Choice
Professor Peter Coughlin


Yes-No Voting Systems & Power Indices
The background reading is:

Alan D. Taylor and Allison M. Pacelli, Mathematics and Politics, 2nd edition

[1] The description of "yes-no voting" in the 1st paragraph on page 49,

[2] Examples 1-3 on pages 50-51,

[3] From "In a yes-no..." at the beginning of the 1st paragraph on page 52 through the bottom of page 58,

[4] The definition of a dummy voter and the definition of a dictator on page 68 and

[5] From "we add on one convention..." in the 8th line on page 73 through the table near the bottom of page 87.



The following items are recommended readings (designed to supplement the material in the copy packets):

Sherif El-Helaly, The Mathematics of Voting and Apportionment, Springer, 2019.

[1] From the beginning of Subsection 2.1.1 on page 116 through the end of Subsection 2.1.2 on page 122;

[2] From the beginning of Section 2.2 on page 123 through the end of Subsection 2.2.1 on page 126;

[3] From the beginning of Subsection 2.2.3 on page 128 through the end of Subsection 2.2.3 on page 132;

[4] From the beginning of Section 2.5 on page 144 through Definition 2.5.3 on page 146;


Jonathan K. Hodge & Richard E. Klima, The Mathematics of Voting and Elections, 2nd edition, American Mathematical Society, 2018.

[1] From the beginning of Chapter 6 on page 105 through Question 7.22 on page 113 and

[2] Chapter 8


These items are available through Course Reserves at ELMS.