[EM] Request: Voting method blurbs for research

[Kristofer Munsterhjelm]

On 07/18/2014 02:46 PM, Jameson Quinn wrote:
> I'm not inviting people on the list to participate in the experiment,
> since the goal is to see how normal people will vote in different voting
> systems. The reason I wrote to the list is that I'm inviting others to
> write blurbs explaining the different voting systems, so that I can test
> if subjects respond differently to different explanations.

I seem to recall the MJ experimental evidence paper investigating 
something related for Approval and strategic voting.

Let's see, I have the paper here. Ah, yes:

The contrast between absolute evaluations and relative comparisons may 
be seen in the very different questions posed in two 2007 polls (see 
above, Table 2.20):
“Would each of the following candidates be a good President of France?” 
and “Do you personally wish each of the following candidates to win the 
presidential election?” The first poses an absolute question, the second 
a relative one. The first invites an evaluation, the second suggests a 
contrast.

(end of quote, page 42)

That might be an additional variable to modify when checking if subjects 
respond differently to different explanations, in particular when 
concerning strategy.

On the other hand, if you have a particular game in mind, then the 
relative vs absolute distinction in the phrasing of the ballot might be 
dwarfed by means-to-an-end thinking by the voters in context of the 
greater game in any case. Without data, it's hard to reason which would 
be the case, either way.