Intensitet och antecipation.

Kring en frågeställning och dess implikationer

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Abstrakti

Majority rule ignores the fact that political preferences may vary in intensity. Majority rule thus equalizes unequal intensities: this is the so-called intensity problem in democratic theory. Proper methods for modulating decisions so that they accord with differing intensities of preference are not available; however, there are traits in the democratic processes themselves that, to some extent at least, make collective decisions sensitive to intensities. Of central importance is the question of to what extent the political and social machinery of a system renders probable correct reciprocal anticipations on the part of groups and individuals as to how others will react to political initiatives and decisions. Accurate forecasts concerning reactions of individuals and groups can best be achieved when communities are small, homogeneous and intimate. The family is a prime example of a group whose members can predict with great accuracy the reactions of other group members. Small political units can therefore be supposed to possess a special capacity for handling the intensity problem. Various factors may, of course, impose restrictions on this capacity. For instance, many small states have for historical reasons adopted the constitutions of former colonial powers and are therefore dependent on norms and rules that may prove inadequate from the point of view of reciprocal anticipation.