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Pivotality and responsibility attribution in sequential voting

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  • Björn Bartling
  • Urs Fischbacher
  • Simeon Schudy

Abstract

This paper analyzes responsibility attributions for outcomes of collective decision making processes. In particular, we ask if decision makers are blamed for being pivotal if they implement an unpopular outcome in a sequential voting process. We conduct an experimental voting game in which decision makers vote about the allocation of money between themselves and recipients without voting rights. We measure responsibility attributions for voting decisions by eliciting the monetary punishment that recipients assign to individual decision makers. We find that pivotal decision makers are punished significantly more for an unpopular voting outcome than non‐pivotal decision makers. Our data also suggest that some voters avoid being pivotal by voting strategically in order to delegate the pivotal vote to subsequent decision makers.

Suggested Citation

  • Björn Bartling & Urs Fischbacher & Simeon Schudy, 2014. "Pivotality and responsibility attribution in sequential voting," ECON - Working Papers 138, Department of Economics - University of Zurich, revised Apr 2015.
  • Handle: RePEc:zur:econwp:138
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Collective decision making; responsibility attribution; voting; pivotality; delegation; experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • D71 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior

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