Group Decision Making Cluster 

Human beings make many decisions in groups.  The research cluster is interested in, among other things, how these group decisions are/should be made.  To give an example, consider a jury.  A jury decides whether a defendant is guilty or innocent. Should we require jury verdicts to be unanimous, or will a simple majority of the jurors suffice?  Another example is political elections. How should we elect politicians? Different countries use different electoral systems. Can we say which of these systems is best?

Somewhat more broadly, how can conflicting interests be reconciled and the sharing of dispersed information organised, so as to facilitate cooperation within a group and reach outcomes that meet various optimality criteria? For example, can incentives be created to ensure that individuals in an organisation meet collective goals? Or will those incentives lead rational individuals to behave in a different manner than intended? If individuals in a group follow simple rules of behaviour, what structure can emerge when they repeatedly interact with one another? Can this help us understand bubbles in financial markets, manias and panics?

In summary, there are three overarching questions.  How should collective decisions be made?  What is the impact of strategic behavior in groups?  How does repeated interaction in groups give rise to social structure?

Cluster Leader: Dr. Ashley Piggins

Cluster Members

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