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Making Democracy Count: How Mathematics Improves Voting, Electoral Maps, and Representation

by Ismar Volić (Author)
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 ratings
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How we can repair our democracy by rebuilding the mechanisms that power it

What’s the best way to determine what most voters want when multiple candidates are running? What’s the fairest way to allocate legislative seats to different constituencies? What’s the least distorted way to draw voting districts? Not the way we do things now. Democracy is mathematical to its very foundations. Yet most of the methods in use are a historical grab bag of the shortsighted, the cynical, the innumerate, and the outright discriminatory. Making Democracy Count sheds new light on our electoral systems, revealing how a deeper understanding of their mathematics is the key to creating civic infrastructure that works for everyone.

In this timely guide, Ismar Volić empowers us to use mathematical thinking as an objective, nonpartisan framework that rises above the noise and rancor of today’s divided public square. Examining our representative democracy using powerful clarifying concepts, Volić shows why our current voting system stifles political diversity, why the size of the House of Representatives contributes to its paralysis, why gerrymandering is a sinister instrument that entrenches partisanship and disenfranchisement, why the Electoral College must be rethought, and what can work better and why. Volić also discusses the legal and constitutional practicalities involved and proposes a road map for repairing the mathematical structures that undergird representative government.

Making Democracy Count gives us the concrete knowledge and the confidence to advocate for a more just, equitable, and inclusive democracy.

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  1. ISBN-10
    069124880X
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0691248806
  3. Publisher
    Princeton University Press
  4. Publication date
    April 2, 2024
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  7. Print length
    408 pages
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

Making Democracy Count: How Mathematics Improves Voting, Electoral Maps

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The rules for electing candidates to public office have a profound effect on democracy, a fact not generally appreciated. Ismar Volić’s beautifully written book shows just how crucial these rules are―and how they can be improved.”―Eric Maskin, Nobel Laureate in Economics, Harvard University

“A clear, accessible, and enjoyable introduction to the mathematical machinery behind American democracy. Challenging us to imagine how elections could be different, Volić explains how mathematicians think about the basic elements of our democratic system, from voting and apportionment to gerrymandering. In a moment when many worry about American polarization, Volic’s perspective is refreshing and necessary.”―Alma Steingart, author of Axiomatics: Mathematical Thought and High Modernism

“Do you remember how shocked you were at the outcome of the 2016 presidential election? One candidate received millions more votes, and yet she lost! The Electoral College was a major culprit, but there are lots of other ways for seemingly reasonable processes to go astray. In Making Democracy Count, you will learn how the immutable mathematical laws behind commonly accepted voting schemes make such astonishing outcomes possible. Read this book and you will learn what can be done to make the word ‘democracy’ achieve what it claims. Highly recommended.”―Paul J. Nahin, author of The Mathematical Radio

About the Author

Ismar Volić is professor of mathematics and director of the Institute for Mathematics and Democracy at Wellesley College. His work has appeared in publications such as The Hill, Cognoscenti, and Education Week.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press (April 2, 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 408 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 069124880X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691248806
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.6 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 2 ratings

About the author

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Ismar Volic

Ismar Volic

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Ismar Volić is a Professor of Mathematics and the Director of the Institute for Mathematics and Democracy at Wellesley College. He received a B.A. from Boston University and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Brown University. His research is in algebraic topology. He is the author of many articles and books and has delivered more than two hundred lectures in some twenty countries. He was a visiting professor at MIT, Louvain-la-Neuve University, and the University of Virginia.

Ismar likes to teach across the math curriculum, advise student research, and advocate for mathematics as a relevant and vibrant discipline. He has in recent years dedicated himself to research, education, and outreach on topics that lie in the intersection of mathematics and democracy. It is in this spirit that he co-founded the Institute for Mathematics and Democracy in 2019.

Ismar was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and came to the U.S. in 1991 to attend his senior year of high school. Soon after his arrival, a war broke out in his country and he has lived in the U.S. ever since. He now travels to Bosnia-Herzegovina frequently through his involvement in various education and research activities, including advising Ph.D. students and working with various agencies to bring quality STEM education to the country.

Customer reviews

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Top reviews from the United States

Biker Bob
5.0 out of 5 stars The right book for 2024
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2024
Verified Purchase
A timely book as the country becomes geared up for the November 2024 elections with all their ramifications. While voting methods seem to us to be fair, according to Volic many of our votes are wasted. Further, he points out that there are many methods of selecting political leaders far superior to those practiced in the US. Finally, he gives us a one page wrap-up of recommendations, but the chances of any becoming reality are slim. But it is worth seeing them listed and just maybe …..
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars An insightful book on how math can help us make sure every vote counts
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2024
Verified Purchase
Making Democracy Count cuts through politics as usual to explain the structural issues that weaken democracy and how mathematics can help us remake elected government so that everyone's vote really counts. Although this book is grounded in math, it is a book full of examples and anecdotes, not formulas or equations (of which, actually, there are none). It is accessible, thought provoking, and useful - a handbook for rethinking some of the most basic rules that shape democracy and how we can make them better.
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