NationStates Jolt Archive

Ok, a majority qualifies as 50% +1 approval by a group.
A supermajority qualifies as 50%+ aprroval (exact % not specified)
Unnanymosity is %100 approval.

Let us debate the virtues and vices of each.

The way I see it (in the context of voting), a majority will take the least amount of time to pass, but not as many people are necessarily happy. A supermajority means more people are happy with what they are voting on, but may take a little more time to pass. Unnanymosity IMO may garuntee everybody's happiness but is near impossible to pass

The way I see it (in the context of voting), a majority will take the least amount of time to pass, but not as many people are necessarily happy.

Maybe. Surprisingly, it is possible in game theory to show that majority voting is best for the most homogeneous groups. In fact, if you try to have a relatively homogeneous group make a unanimous decision, they are more likely to come up with something that satisfied no one than if they just took a majority vote!! (It has to do with an individual's motives for withholding information from the group.)

Unnanymosity IMO may garuntee everybody's happiness but is near impossible to pass

First of all, it is a well-known fact that unanimity does not guarantee that everyone actually agrees. Minorities may feel significant pressure to give up and let the vote pass. In fact, for relatively homogeneous groups, the minority is probably better served by a majoritarian or supermajoritarian decision, since at least these allow for the continuation of vocal dissent after the vote. It is somewhat harder under the unanimous rule to vote "yes" and then turn around and say "Oh, but I didn't mean it and this sucks!"

In general, unanimity is adopted as a useful rule in (a) extremely heterogenous groups that recognize the need to "hammer out" a workable decision; (b) conditions involving oppressed/underprivileged minorities; or (c) conditions in which democratic participants are highly suspicious of one another.

Alternatively, one can also situate a "liberal - conservative" spectrum along the majority - unanimity axis. Unanimity is a conservative rule in that it tends to exert pressure against change.