Power, voting, and voting power

Any normative theory of democracy incorporates equity notions that guide collective decisions, while a descriptive theory must consider the power distribution within decision-making bodies. The evolution of collective decision theory reflects these two interests through distinct paths: social choice theory and game theory. In social choice theory, participants express preferences among alternatives but do not select them directly; instead, a central authority aggregates these preferences to make a decision. Conversely, game theory begins with actors who actively choose from various strategies, leading to outcomes that yield different utilities for each participant. This book presents selected papers that provide a comprehensive overview of both approaches, showcasing the current state of the field. Both branches of formal decision theory are articulated in mathematical language, yet the content is accessible without requiring extensive technical mathematical knowledge to understand the arguments.