IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wsi/acsxxx/v03y2000i01n04ns0219525900000133.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Democratic Voting in Hierarchical Structures or How to Build a Dictatorship

Author

Listed:
  • Serge Galam

    (Laboratoire des Milieux Désordonnés et Hétérogènes, Tour 13 - Case 86, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, France)

Abstract

The dynamics of voting in hierarchical structures is modelled using the very efficient tool of the real space renormalization group borrowed from the Physics of collective phenomena. Each hierarchical level elects the one just above from local cells using a majority rule voting. The process is restricted to a two party competition. For each party two critical thresholds are found in the overall support. Below the first one, the associated party is automatically self-eliminated. Above the second one the presidency is guaranteed. In between the results are probabilistic. Depending on the voting rules, these thresholds may differ drastically from one party to the other. Higher thesholds to full power may be simultaneously at 23% for the ruling party while at 77% for the competing one making the system a dictatorship. Our model could shed new light on the collapse of the eastern european communist regime of the last century.

Suggested Citation

  • Serge Galam, 2000. "Democratic Voting in Hierarchical Structures or How to Build a Dictatorship," Advances in Complex Systems (ACS), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 3(01n04), pages 171-180.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:acsxxx:v:03:y:2000:i:01n04:n:s0219525900000133
    DOI: 10.1142/S0219525900000133
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0219525900000133
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1142/S0219525900000133?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wsi:acsxxx:v:03:y:2000:i:01n04:n:s0219525900000133. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Tai Tone Lim (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.worldscinet.com/acs/acs.shtml .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.