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Strategic, sincere, and heuristic voting under four election rules: an experimental study

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  • Karine Van der Straeten
  • Jean-François Laslier
  • Nicolas Sauger
  • André Blais

Abstract

We report on laboratory experiments on voting. In a setting where subjects have single-peaked preferences we find that the rational choice theory provides very good predictions of actual individual behavior in one-round and approval voting elections, but fares poorly in explaining vote choice under two-round elections. We conclude that voters behave strategically as far as strategic computations are not too demanding, in which case they rely on simple heuristics (in two-round elections) or they just vote sincerely (in single transferable vote elections).
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  • Karine Van der Straeten & Jean-François Laslier & Nicolas Sauger & André Blais, 2010. "Strategic, sincere, and heuristic voting under four election rules: an experimental study," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 35(3), pages 435-472, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:sochwe:v:35:y:2010:i:3:p:435-472
    DOI: 10.1007/s00355-010-0448-7
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