Investigating the effects of decision rules in group decision making - Theory and Experiments

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Our objective is to contribute to a theoretical and empirical understanding of the effects of alternative decision rules on group decision making. We will be especially interested in the comparison between unanimity rule and (simple of qualified) majority rules. Among other things, we are interested in the effects of these rules on the process and length of negotiations, as well as the efficiency of the resulting agreements. These considerations imply a tradeoff between the "decision costs" and the possible "external costs" associated with different rules. While unanimity rule is likely to be associated with high decision costs, other rules may lead to external costs. Our theoretical and experimental projects will investigate this tradeoff and produce new insights concerning the circumstances under which one or the other type of rule is likely to produce better overall results.