More Social Choice

Chapter 1 dealt with what might be called “concrete social choice theory” in that specific social choice procedures were introduced and analyzed. The present chapter deals with what might be called “abstract social choice theory.” Rather than consider any particular social choice procedures, this chapter establishes some limitations on what kind of “better” procedures can ever be found. These are very striking results. They are not saying that certain kinds of procedures fail to exist in the sense that no one has yet discovered one, they’re saying it is absolutely pointless even to look—one will never be found.