Numbers rule
The vexing mathematics of democracy from Plato to the present
by George G. Szpiro · first published 2010
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…voting systems (vs the simpler systems in general use today): there one can find a good part of the theoretical background. (I am focusing here on the feedback as fundamental to the goal.) An example: Numbers Rule: The Vexing Mathematics of Democracy, from Plato to the Present by George Szpiro is a primer. Of course it depends on the goal defining "improvement" - heuristics, informative/insightful/funny, educational,…
on “Ask HN: How would you improve YouTube comments?” ↗…intellectual keys. And it seems that some think it a good use of time to provoke instead of seriously propose. For a primer about at-least-slightly sophisticated voting systems, one text is: George G. Szpiro, "Numbers Rule: The Vexing Mathematics of Democracy, from Plato to the Present", Princeton University Press (2010)
on “Elections are flawed -it’s time to start choosing our representatives by lottery” ↗For those of you who want to read a bit more about the twin cities traffic metering program there's an entertaining chapter in Numbers Rule Your World that goes through the history and (very lightly) the stats behind it. http://junkcharts.typepad.com/numbersruleyourworld/
on “Systemic traffic jams caused by small groups of drivers, study says” ↗…?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!". Or do you have literature why mathematics forced that set of rules? Preference ranking based systems in history did not impose ranking all the options. Relevant Literature: George Szpiro - Numbers Rule: The Vexing Mathematics of Democracy, from Plato to the Present https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691139944/nu...
on “No Country Should Be Making Speech Rules for the World” ↗