Richard Drummond McKelvey (April 27, 1944 – April 22, 2002) was a

political scientist Political science is the science, scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of politics, political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated c ...

, specializing in mathematical theories of

voting Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holde ...

. He received his BS in

Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

, MA in mathematics from

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

, and PhD in political science from

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

. He was an

Econometric Society The Econometric Society is an international society of academic economists interested in applying statistical tools to their field. It is an independent organization with no connections to societies of professional mathematicians or statisticians. ...

fellow, and was the Edie and Lew Wasserman Professor of Political Science at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

until his death, from cancer, in 2002. McKelvey also wrote several articles about instability. One discussed the topic agenda manipulation. The McKelvey theorem indicates that almost every possible outcome can be realized through democratic decision-making, by smartly choosing the order or agenda in which decisions are taken. The desired result is established by ensuring that in each stage another composition of the majority determines the outcome of that part of the decision-making procedure. The person who designs the decision-making procedure needs to know the preferences of the participants to achieve the most desirable outcome by shifting majorities. It will be clear that the position where one can control the agenda is attractive because it is possible to implement one's choice. In 2007 John Aldrich (Duke), James Alt (Harvard) and

Arthur Lupia Arthur Lupia is an American political scientist. He is the Gerald R. Ford University Professor at the University of Michigan and Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation. Prior to joining NSF, he was Chairperson of the Board of the Cen ...

(Michigan) published the edited volume ''Positive Changes in Political Science: The Legacy of Richard D. McKelvey’s Most Influential Writings'' with the University of Michigan Press. The volume contains reprints of several of Richard McKelvey's classic papers along with original essays by leading names in political science.

Publications

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External links

''Positive Changes in Political Science'' press release
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Thomas R. Palfrey, "Richard Drummond McKelvey", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences
American political scientists 1944 births 2002 deaths Oberlin College alumni Washington University in St. Louis alumni University of Rochester alumni Washington University in St. Louis mathematicians California Institute of Technology faculty Fellows of the Econometric Society Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences 20th-century political scientists {{US-polisci-bio-stub