Josep M. Colomer

Ramon Llull: From 'Ars Electionis' to Social Choice Theory

Josep M. Colomer — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:35:38 PST

Ramon Llull (Majorca c.1232–1316) is one of the earliest founding fathers of voting theory and social choice theory. The present article places Llull’s contributions and discussion in the historical context of elections in the medieval Church and the emergence of majority rule as a new general principle for making enforceable collective decisions in replacement of traditional unanimous requirements. To make the majority principle operational, Llull initially proposed a system of exhaustive binary comparisons that is more efficacious in producing a winner than the Condorcet system, in anticipation to the so called Copeland procedure. In contrast to some previous tentative suggestions, careful reading of Llull’s papers demonstrates that he did not propose a rank-order count system, such as those proposed later on by Cusanus and Borda. A new hypothesis is presented to explain Llull’s later proposal of an eliminatory system of partial binary comparisons. Some performance of Llull’s voting systems is estimated by innovative analysis of results in certain modern sports tournaments.

The More Parties, the Greater Policy Stability

Josep M. Colomer — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:08:23 PDT

This article discusses, models and quantifies the relationship between the number of parties in government and the degree of policy change or instability. Single-party governments, such as those formed in the United Kingdom for several decades, tend to produce very high levels of policy changes and reversals, whereas multiparty coalition governments, such as the ones in Switzerland or Israel, tend to produce a high degree of stability and little policy change. This relationship is studied for 295 elections and the subsequent governments in twenty-four countries since the Second World War. According to the study, there is a strong negative correlation between the number of parties in government (NPG) and the degree of policy change (Ch),according to the formula: Ch = 30% / NPG The fewer parties in government the more changes, and viceversa.

Personal Representation: The Neglected Dimension of Electoral Systems

Josep M. Colomer — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 14:16:49 PDT

Yes, Cairo Can Happen in Havanna

Josep M. Colomer — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:08:12 PDT

Game Theory and the Transition to Democracy: The Spanish Model

Josep M. Colomer — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 10:10:57 PST

"A Political Science classic". It was sold out, and now it's available here.

The Science of Politics. An Introduction

Josep M. Colomer — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:59:41 PDT

"I don't think that anyone has tried to write something like this before. If one wants to give an overview of political science, then this is about the only book there is!"--James A. Robinson, Harvard University

"At long last, a text that puts science back into political science; at the same time, it is not an 'American government and politics' text masquerading as an introduction to political science. I am delighted with it. The central concept of the 'public good' lends coherence to the organization of the book and allows Josep M. Colomer to integrate a vast amount of material encompassing all levels of analysis. The product is a remarkable achievement."--Abdalla Battah, Minnesota State University, Mankato

"The Science of Politics: An Introduction aims to do something that no other political science textbook currently does: to lay out the key 'things we know' about politics that satisfy the criteria of simplicity, practicality, and historical relevance. It is very well written, with an authoritative style that clearly demonstrates an impressive sweep of historical knowledge and understanding. . . . It has an analytical coherence which is consistent throughout the book, in line with the goal to be 'scientific'. This style completely distinguishes this text from others in the field and is a key selling point for students. I would recommend it to others without hesitation."--Helen Margetts, University of Oxford

Europe, like America. The challenges of building a democratic federation

Josep M. Colomer — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:16:56 PDT

Constitutions, Elections, Governance

Josep M. Colomer — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:52:01 PDT

City-republics

Josep M. Colomer — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:49:53 PDT

Coalitions, Cooperation, Election by Lot, Social Choice Theory

Josep M. Colomer — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:34:36 PDT

Institutional Design

Josep M. Colomer — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 10:06:42 PST

Frustrated Modernity in Latin America

Josep M. Colomer — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 06:26:14 PDT

An Agenda-Setting Model of Electoral Competition

Josep M. Colomer — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:11:05 PST

Electoral systems, Majority rule, Multiparty systems

Josep M. Colomer — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:50:42 PST

'Social Choice in Medieval Europe' (with I. McLean and H. Lorrey)

Josep M. Colomer — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 11:03:12 PST

Empire-, State- and Nation-Builing and Deconstructing in Spain

Josep M. Colomer — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 09:06:57 PDT

The Geometry of Unanimity Rule

Josep M. Colomer — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 09:01:41 PDT

Can Presidentialism Work Like Parliamentarianism?

Josep M. Colomer — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 08:55:21 PDT

Great Empires, Small Nations. The Uncertain Future of the Sovereign State

Josep M. Colomer — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 08:53:06 PDT

‘Cleavages, Issues and Parties: A Critical Review’

Josep M. Colomer — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:28:27 PDT