At this week's Round Table, Inica and Madeline spoke with Jennifer Wilson, Dean of Eugene Lang College and Associate Professor of Mathematics at Eugene Lang College. Dean Wilson loves math and she loves social change so she has found ways to entwine the two in her work. She studies the ways in which we make decisions and the fairness properties embedded in that, for good and for bad. Voting is a quintessential way citizens make decisions and thus is of particular interest to her. Dean Wilson is deeply invested in plurality vs majority systems, and is closely analyzing the recent primaries in New York City, which used ranked choice voting (RCV) for the first time. Of course SOME aspects of RCV can be approached mathematically (like the spoiler effect) and others can’t (like does it impact how candidates approach the campaign) but analyzing it mathematically can help us step back, gain objectivity, and think LESS about campaigning as a sport and MORE about the structures we use to make decisions--and then to critique and improve them. A mathematical lens (specifically collective game theory) can also be helpful in analyzing the bandwagon effect--that is, what are the reasons for candidates to support one another as they’re gaining momentum—and gerrymandering to produce more or less competitive races. Needless to say, Jennifer Wilson’s work and this episode will help you think differently and more deeply about electoral math. Thank you for listening!

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