[EM] Using Borda to Set an Agenda

[Gervase Lam]

> Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 14:06:41 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Forest Simmons <fsimmons at pcc.edu>
> Subject: Re: [EM] Using Borda to Set an Agenda

> At the each stage, the weight of a ballot B is 1/(1+k) where k is the
> number of items "approved" by ballot B that already have a place on the
> agenda.
>
> Since we start with no item on the agenda, the number k is zero for all
> ballots at the initial stage, which makes the ordinary approval winner
> the first item on the agenda.

Or, if you want to deal with whole numbers, after each stage, weight each 
ballot by multiplying it with (S - A), where S is the stage number and A 
is the number of items already "approved" by that ballot.

At the start, there are no items on the agenda.  At this point, the number 
S is 1 for all ballots and A is zero for all ballots.

I hope I got the above right.  I should've thought of this earlier.

Doing sequential PAV this way, I would be very tempted to not bother with 
a calculator at all as we are dealing with whole numbers, not fractions.  
It is possible to do it the fractional way without calculator.  But I 
wouldn't want to!

I'll probably take a look at and think about non-sequential PAV next week 
or whenever.

Thanks,
Gervase.