systems have properties that both constrain individuals and influence their
preferences”.
920
Hence it is not possible or realistic to conceive a social choice
that is constructed purely of individual choices because social factors will
influence the choice.
Bounded Rationality
There is research which suggests that people in organisations such as a
legislature engage in a form of decision-making which seems to be not totally
rational and efficient, although may still be partly rational. It is called bounded
rationality.
921
A person can make a decision that is good enough
(called
satisficing) rather than a decision with the highest payoff (called maximisation).
922
They do this because their decision making is limited in two ways – they have
limited rather than complete information so they are not fully informed, and
they have limited time and ability to process the information that they do have.
Comment
Despite the acknowledged difficulties inherent in and occurring with social
choice, a social choice made by a legislature, however flawed in principle, is
still possibly the best available general method of making law in a rational way.
First, notwithstanding that there are problems in principle as well as practice in
perfectly translating individual preferences into a social choice both at the
ballot box and in the legislative chamber, representative democracy is still the
best available means of determining and giving effect to social values. To put it
bluntly, it is better than any other method so that it is the best that is
achievable. A basic reason for this is that in a real way elected legislators are
beholden to the values of their constituents because failure to observe them
sufficiently may lead to not being re-elected. Moreover, fear of being voted out
at the next election is the source of public pressure between elections to
comply with community standards.
Second, notwithstanding that liberal democracies are pluralist Gesellschaft
societies, there are still many major values shared throughout the community,
for example caring for those unable to care for themselves, providing a basic
health care system, nurturing the environment, and providing proper education
for all according to ability. Of course not every one will espouse them, and not
all will espouse them in the same way, in identical circumstances and to the
same extent, but there will still be large areas of agreement and substantial
areas of broad but not complete agreement. So, even given the inherent
problem of social choice, and defects in the way democracy is implemented, a
___________________
920
Abercrombie (2000) p 287
921
Conlisk (1996), Lipman (1995).
922
Pinfield (1986)
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