Matrix Rationalization via Partial Orders

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Totschnig, Agnes, Vasishta, Rohit, Vetta, Adrian
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Totschnig, Agnes
Vasishta, Rohit
Vetta, Adrian
author_facet Totschnig, Agnes
Vasishta, Rohit
Vetta, Adrian
contents A preference matrix $M$ has an entry for each pair of candidates in an election whose value $p_{ij}$ represents the proportion of voters that prefer candidate $i$ over candidate $j$. The matrix is rationalizable if it is consistent with a set of voters whose preferences are total orders. A celebrated open problem asks for a concise characterization of rationalizable preference matrices. In this paper, we generalize this matrix rationalizability question and study when a preference matrix is consistent with a set of voters whose preferences are partial orders of width $α$. The width (the maximum cardinality of an antichain) of the partial order is a natural measure of the rationality of a voter; indeed, a partial order of width $1$ is a total order. Our primary focus concerns the rationality number, the minimum width required to rationalize a preference matrix. We present two main results. The first concerns the class of half-integral preference matrices, where we show the key parameter required in evaluating the rationality number is the chromatic number of the undirected unanimity graph associated with the preference matrix $M$. The second concerns the class of integral preference matrices, where we show the key parameter now is the dichromatic number of the directed voting graph associated with $M$.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_20976
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Matrix Rationalization via Partial Orders
Totschnig, Agnes
Vasishta, Rohit
Vetta, Adrian
Discrete Mathematics
Computer Science and Game Theory
A preference matrix $M$ has an entry for each pair of candidates in an election whose value $p_{ij}$ represents the proportion of voters that prefer candidate $i$ over candidate $j$. The matrix is rationalizable if it is consistent with a set of voters whose preferences are total orders. A celebrated open problem asks for a concise characterization of rationalizable preference matrices. In this paper, we generalize this matrix rationalizability question and study when a preference matrix is consistent with a set of voters whose preferences are partial orders of width $α$. The width (the maximum cardinality of an antichain) of the partial order is a natural measure of the rationality of a voter; indeed, a partial order of width $1$ is a total order. Our primary focus concerns the rationality number, the minimum width required to rationalize a preference matrix. We present two main results. The first concerns the class of half-integral preference matrices, where we show the key parameter required in evaluating the rationality number is the chromatic number of the undirected unanimity graph associated with the preference matrix $M$. The second concerns the class of integral preference matrices, where we show the key parameter now is the dichromatic number of the directed voting graph associated with $M$.
title Matrix Rationalization via Partial Orders
topic Discrete Mathematics
Computer Science and Game Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.20976