Suchergebnisse

This article uses a Bayesian rational approach to analyze a generic set of decision problems. A committee must decide which proposal to submit to a set of decision bodies, which decide separately whether to accept or reject the proposal. The article offers sufficient conditions for the proposing body to reach rational group decisions. The model is applied to decision making in response to an international crisis.

A new model of congressional compromise is constructed in which leadership, faced with a bill whose prospects are uncertain, is forced to compromise. Leadership has policy preferences of its own and seeks a compromise that will minimize its expected loss.A reasonable expression for the probability of each outcome is assumed, and the form of the optimal compromise is derived based on two simple parameters. The solutions are quite revealing and support the expectation of compromises close to a 50-50 split under a broad range of conditions.