The Value of Delay in Government
Not Tom, but Time. I’m listening to Dennis Mueller talk about unanimity rules in government. They have 3 defects, he says: 1. Take too long to decide, 2. Encourage strategic behavior (you hold out for a bribe) (but is the threat credible?–bargaining problem, anyway). 3. It protects the status quo too much. It is the TIME aspect which interests me now.
Have people modelled this? In the real world, it is very important. There are three reasons for delay:
1. Mechanics. YOu need to ask everybody, to get unanimity.
2. Persuasion. You need to convince everyone, getting them info and logic, or get them to trust you.
3. Bargaining time. If they hold out, you need to spend time logrolling or deciding on a bribe size.
Could you ever WANT delay to be imposed against the will of the legislature? We think so, but why– in a rational model? (So I am excluding people who might change their opinion and need to be slowed down, since they should realise that in advance.)