Collective Choice

Collective choice refers to situations in which two or more individuals jointly pursue a common objective. As such, collective choice is fundamentally a problem of coordination. This is in contrast to instances in which individuals pursue similar or identical objectives independently; in this case, coordination of individual actions is not expected.

Collective choice exists because humans have an inherent inclination to form and interact in groups. This is because there are many things that people can do collectively that cannot be achieved when acting individually or independently. Generally, collectives form voluntarily. Business firms, social clubs, religious organizations, social movements, caucuses, and governments are examples of collectives that form because individuals desire to achieve a common objective. However, sometimes collective choice arises in situations in which members ...