Measuring democracy: axiomatic foundations for aggregating characteristics

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dc.contributor.authorOzdemir, Ugur
dc.contributor.authorSanver, M. Remzi
dc.contributor.authorYazgan, M. Ege
dc.date.accessioned2026-04-04T18:55:23Z
dc.date.available2026-04-04T18:55:23Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.departmentİstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi
dc.description.abstractThe determination of appropriate criteria for the selection of an aggregation rule for composite indices represents a nuanced area of inquiry. This study embarks on an axiomatic exploration of the aggregation methodology employed by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) in the formulation of its Democracy Index. We introduce two axiomatic precepts and demonstrate that while the EIU's additive aggregation rule satisfies one axiom, it does not uphold the other. In contrast, we suggest the implementation of the Borda count for the aggregation of identical indicator categories and reveal that this method adheres to the axiom contravened by the additive rule but does not fulfill the axiom that the additive rule meets. Moreover, we scrutinize the empirical ramifications of applying diverse aggregation rules across the span from 2006 to 2020. It is observed that the two aggregation approaches yield markedly divergent outcomes, particularly among nations with lower democratic rankings. The insights garnered from this investigation underscore the pivotal role of the selection of aggregation rules in the constitution of indices and advocate for a more profound examination of the axiomatic principles that undergird such choices.
dc.description.sponsorshipIstanbul Bilgi University
dc.description.sponsorshipThis paper is a part of 'Polarization viewed from a social choice perspective' (POSOP) research project that is carried on under the RDI program funded by & Idot;stanbul Bilgi University. We would like to thank POSOP for the support. We also thank Olivier Cailloux for valuable exchanges.
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s11238-025-10070-y
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s11238-025-10070-y
dc.identifier.issn0040-5833
dc.identifier.issn1573-7187
dc.identifier.scopus2-s2.0-105011691574
dc.identifier.scopusqualityQ2
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s11238-025-10070-y
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11411/10401
dc.identifier.wosWOS:001537681800001
dc.identifier.wosqualityQ4
dc.indekslendigikaynakWeb of Science
dc.indekslendigikaynakScopus
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSpringer
dc.relation.ispartofTheory and Decision
dc.relation.publicationcategoryMakale - Uluslararası Hakemli Dergi - Kurum Öğretim Elemanı
dc.rightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.snmzKA_WoS_20260402
dc.snmzKA_Scopus_20260402
dc.subjectComposite Indicators
dc.subjectAggregation
dc.subjectDemocracy Index
dc.subjectBorda Rule
dc.titleMeasuring democracy: axiomatic foundations for aggregating characteristics
dc.typeArticle

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