Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/336791 
Year of Publication: 
2026
Series/Report no.: 
KIT Working Paper Series in Economics No. 176
Publisher: 
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre (ECON), Karlsruhe
Abstract: 
We describe Aristotle's mathematical model of weighted voting to explain and implement decision-making in democracies, oligarchies and the mixed states that combine elements of both systems. This model, originally presented in textual form, extends the known history of social choice theory back 450 years to the mid-4th century BC. The fact that the origins of the social choice theory go back to one of the most influential thinkers of all time enhances its scientific and historical significance.
Subjects: 
Social choice
history
Aristotle
democracy
oligarchy
mixed state
weighted voting
JEL: 
D71
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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