On the informational efficiency of simple scoring rules

We study information aggregation in large elections. With two candidates, efficient information aggregation is possible (e.g., Feddersen and Pesendorfer [5], [6] and [7]). We show that this result does not extend to elections with more than two candidates. We study a class of simple scoring rules in voting games with Poisson population uncertainty and three candidates. No simple scoring rule aggregates information efficiently, even if preferences are dichotomous and a Condorcet winner always exists. We introduce a weaker criterion of informational efficiency that requires a voting rule to have at least one efficient equilibrium. Only approval voting satisfies this criterion.     

The Self‐Help Myth: Towards a Theory of Philanthropy as Consensus Broker

This article presents a theoretical and methodological approach to studying how philanthropic power is maintained through the process of negotiating consensus between greatly unequal partners such as wealthy funders and social movement leaders. It is proposed that grant agreements between private foundations and social movement organizations construct idealized spaces of public participation and discursive theories of change that draw attention away from structural inequality and antagonism, ultimately generating consent. Drawing upon archival and ethnographic research on philanthropic investments in addressing migrant poverty in California's Central Valley, the article shows how consensus between foundation staff and farmworker and immigrant organizers promote funding frameworks that exclude questions that challenge relationships of power and systems of agricultural production that contribute to enduring poverty across the region. The Gramscian conceptual frames of “discursive power,” “hegemony as politics,” and “strategic articulation” are presented as a theoretical framework from which to understand the power of private philanthropy as consensus broker during historical moments of crisis.     

The impact of primary service and servicescape on customer satisfaction in a leisure service setting: an empirical investigation among theatregoers

• This paper investigates the effects of perceived primary service and perceived servicescape on customer satisfaction in theatres. According to a questionnaire study, among n = 2897 theatregoers in 12 German‐speaking theatres, factors pertaining to the perceived primary service are most influential on customer satisfaction (in particular, the perceived artistic quality, followed by visitors' emotional and cognitive response to the performance). Contrariwise, factors pertaining to the perceived servicescape (i.e. seating and view; other customers' behaviour) are only of minor relevance for customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the influence of both perceived primary service quality and perceived servicescape quality on customer satisfaction is subject to moderating individual factors, such as visitors' theatrical competence and their motivation for attending a theatre performance.

Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exploring the Selective Use of Ad Blockers and Testing Banner Appeals to Reduce Ad Blocking

Ad blocker proliferation threatens the revenue streams of many websites and raises fears about the viability of digital advertising as a whole. Although industry initiatives have increasingly aimed to mitigate ad blocking, surprisingly little research addresses the problem. It remains largely unknown which factors drive ad blocking or help unblocking or “whitelisting” of select websites. This article presents an exploratory survey study of 1,634 ad blocker users and uncovers the main factors driving ad blocking and conditions for unblocking select websites. The conditions suggest changes to online advertising in line with current industry initiatives, as well as opportunities for direct appeals to ad blocker users. A field experiment with 294,331 users tests whether banner appeals can reduce ad blocking. The results show that these appeals reduce ad blocking among 1% of the ad blocker users, and among frequent visitors who encounter repeated banner appeals, this percentage increases to 2%. However, repeated banners also lead to fewer website visits of users not conforming to the appeal, which suggests a trade-off between reducing ad blocking among some users and further increasing avoidance behaviors among others.