Convergence to Consensus — The Elementary Model

Abstract

In this chapter and the next we offer a formal account of the details of iterated arithmetic averaging and convergence to consensus. For the convenience of those who choose to read the mathematical chapters of this book (Chapters Six, Seven, and Eight) first, we include in the first section of the present chapter a brief account of the method of iterated averaging. Those who have already read Chapters Two and Three, which describe this method as applied, respectively, to the amalgamation of probabilities, and of utilities, may wish nevertheless to review the outline of this method offered in the following section. In this chapter we assume, as in Chapters Two and Three, that individuals have uniform skills at all levels of judgment. In Chapter Eight we give a formal account of iteration and convergence which deletes this assumption, thus providing a mathematical counterpart of Chapter Four.