Collective Decision-making Process Research Articles

Agricultural cooperative and members’ resilience in Kita and Yanfolila cercles of Mali

The study examined the role of agricultural cooperatives in strengthening the resilience and social fabric of rural communities in the Kita and Yanfolila regions of Mali. Using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, data was collected from 149 participants, including cooperative members and non-members, through structured surveys and focus group discussions. It explored the challenges faced by farmers, the benefits of cooperative membership, the dynamics of social cohesion within these cooperatives, the nuances of inclusion, and conducted a comparative analysis between cooperative members and non-members. The communities in Kita and Yanfolila faced multiple adversities that significantly affected their resilience, livelihoods and overall well-being. Drought emerged as the most serious problem, affecting the entire population and underscoring its profound impact on agriculture and welfare. Flooding was also a significant threat, exacerbating food insecurity. While terrorist activities and COVID-19 seemed less pressing due to their limited occurrence or awareness at the time, vigilance and awareness remained key. The study highlighted the myriad benefits of cooperative membership and how it empowered members through agricultural training, access to resources and financial stability. In particular, cooperatives have been instrumental in addressing water scarcity and ensuring sustainable access through initiatives such as boreholes and pumping equipment, thereby increasing agricultural productivity and food security. The study also highlighted the key role of cooperatives in fostering social cohesion, promoting conflict resolution and serving as networking platforms. Members praised cooperatives for providing emotional and material support in times of need, disseminating conflict management techniques and promoting transparent, collective decision-making processes. However, there was a noticeable gap in perceptions between cooperative members and non-members regarding the role of cooperatives in conflict resolution. Non-members were less confident, possibly due to a lack of exposure or understanding of cooperative mechanisms. Inclusivity emerged as a key issue, with discussions highlighting the challenge of extending benefits to non-members, which could lead to feelings of exclusion. Income disparities between members and non-members further exacerbated issues of social cohesion. The study also highlighted the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing disrupted supply chains, reduced incomes, increased unemployment and heightened food insecurity in rural communities. Despite this, agricultural cooperatives stepped up by disseminating information, distributing essential supplies and promoting hygiene practices. Key words: Agricultural cooperative, resilience, peacebuilding, social cohesion, COVID-19, Mali

Accessibility and the ‘everyday mobility–work–household’ triad: an exploration during the COVID-19 crisis in low-income peripheries of Lima and Bogotá

ABSTRACT How do people make decisions on where, when, and how to commute? And how did the pandemic crisis affect their commuting patterns? Based on exploratory interviews in Lima and family chronicles collected in Bogotá during 2020; and a second round of interviews in six low-income areas in the peripheries of these two cities during 2021, this article offers a panoramic view of the changes experienced in low-income neighbourhoods and their families during these recent years of pandemic. These changes bring to light the role of intra-household arrangements regarding mobility and accessibility. We suggest that mobility and accessibility can better be understood on a more systemic level (influenced by intra-household arrangements), as a collective phenomenon (based on the household’s resources and the household’s needs), and even as a collective decision-making process.

GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY OF DECISION MAKING

This doctoral thesis explores the intricate relationship between organizational culture and decision-making under uncertainty, aiming to uncover how cultural norms, values, beliefs, and practicesinfluence both individual and collective decision-making processes. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study combines quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews and case studies across various industries to provide a comprehensive analysis of the impact of organizational culture on decision-making efficacy in uncertain environments.

Collaborative Governance in Government Administration in the Field of State Security Along the Republic of Indonesia (RI)-Malaysia Border Area

In recent decades, new forms of government have emerged to replace managerial models in policy making and execution. According to (Chris Ansell & Alison Gash, 2007), collaborative governance is a concept used by the government to regulate the involvement of nongovernmental parties in formal, consensus-oriented, and deliberative collective decision-making processes that aim to create and implement public policies and manage public programs or assets. This study aims to analyze and describe the collaborative government carried out in the Implementation of the State Mission in the Field of State Border Security between the Republic of Indonesia and Malaysia in North Kalimantan Province. The results show that the collaboration carried out to combat crime in the RI-Malaysia border area has not been optimal. This is based on the high crime rate that occurred in 2018 in the North Kalimantan Province area, which is directly adjacent to Malaysia in the form of illegal logging (as much as 200,000 m³). Foreign fishermen who abet illegal fishing amounted to 474 vessels, the arrest of illegal Indonesian migrant workers captured in Malaysia in 2018 was 6,135 people, and the number of drug smuggling cases increased due to 890 incidents in the border area of Malaysia in North Kalimantan Province. Therefore, to overcome these problems, powerful collaboration among government institutions, the private sector, and the community is needed to support effective communication and coordination to create a conducive atmosphere, crime eradication, and rules of order between the RI-Malaysia border area in North Kalimantan Province.

Coproduction, public sector innovation and governance: a systematic literature review

Purpose The purpose of this study is examined whether coproduction appears spontaneously in the literature on public sector innovation and governance, the citizens’ role in coproduction and the implication of citizens’ participation in the governance of innovation networks. Design/methodology/approach The review complied with preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) protocol. The search was performed in the Ebsco, Scopus and WOS databases. The authors analyzed 47 papers published from 2017 to 2022. Thematic and content analysis were adopted, supported by MAXQDA. Findings The papers recognize the importance of the citizens in public innovation. However, only 20% discuss coproduction, evidencing the predominance of governance concepts related to interorganizational collaborations – but not necessarily to citizen engagement. The authors also verified the existence of polysemy regarding the concept of governance associated with public innovation, predominating the term “collaborative governance.” Research limitations/implications The small emphasis on “co-production” may result from the search strategy, which deliberately did not include it as a descriptor, considering the research purpose. One can consider this choice a limitation. Practical implications Considering collaborative governance as a governing arrangement where public agencies directly engage nonstate stakeholders in a collective decision-making process that is formal, consensus-oriented and deliberative (Ansell and Gash, 2007), the forum where the citizen is supposed to be engaged should be initiated by public agencies or institutions and formally organized, as suggested by Österberg and Qvist (2020) and Campomori and Casula (2022). These notions can be useful for public managers concerning their role and how the forums structure should be to promote collaboration and the presence of innovation assets needed to make the process fruitful (Crosby et al., 2017). Originality/value Despite the collaborative nature of public innovation, the need for adequate governance characteristics, and the importance of citizens in the innovative process, most studies generically address collaborative relationships, focusing on interorganizational collaboration, with little focus on specific actors such as citizens in the governance of public innovation. Thus, it is assumed that the literature that discusses public innovation and governance includes the discussion of coproduction. The originality and contribution of this study is to verify this assumption.

Structural and functional analysis of Buchanan’s constitutional contract

Buchanan attempted to seek new theoretical construction through the contract method by introducing elements such as ‘individual’, ‘veil of uncertainty’, ‘public choice’, ‘decision costs’, and ‘unanimous agreement principle’. He not only transformed the contract theory model but also interpreted the ideas of consensus politics in an acceptable manner. Specifically, ‘individuals’ are entities of choice and behavior, and the process of choice allows individuals to express different goals and interests. The ‘veil of uncertainty’ prompts individuals to think about issues from a fair point of view when interests cannot be identified and future prospects are unpredictable and to make choices that are beneficial for both themselves and the group. ‘Public choice’ can solve the problem of justice diversity because it does not exclude different or conflicting motivations and goals. ‘Decision costs’ and ‘external costs’ both limit the way collective decisions are made and help identify the normal consequences of constitutional choices. The ‘unanimous agreement principle’ gives everyone equal status, allowing each person the right to pursue their own goals and values and preventing others from abusing their power. The use of the aforementioned theoretical elements not only helps people discuss constitutional choices at a general level but also helps to present the true face of the collective decision-making process, thereby establishing an empirical theory about the actual logic of individual actions in the political system.

Participation in an indigenous Amazonian-led ayahuasca retreat associated with increases in nature relatedness – a pilot study

Indigenous Amazonian shamanic ayahuasca practice is embedded in a nature-based context and is employed as an ecological mediating agent and in collective environmental decision-making processes by some of the groups that use it. Phenomenologically, the ayahuasca experience is often rich in nature-based themes and content, and its usage has been associated with eliciting shifts in perspectives and attitudes towards nature. In this proof-of-concept study, participation in an ayahuasca retreat in a traditional Indigenous Amazonian context (with a mean of 6.31 ceremonies attended) was associated with significant increases in nature relatedness directly following ayahuasca retreats as assessed via the Short form Nature Relatedness Scale (NR-6) and The Extended Inclusion of Nature in Self scale (EINS), and improvements in depression and stress as assessed via the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) were also found, but not on the anxiety subscale. Furthermore, a significant negative correlation with moderate effect size was found between changes in nature-relatedness and stress, suggesting that an increase in nature relatedness is associated with decreased stress levels after attending Amazonian ayahuasca retreats in our sample. It is currently unclear if the changes seen were due to consumption of the ayahuasca brew, participation in ceremony, or the retreat setting itself. Although this pilot study suggests a potential therapeutic role for Amazonian ayahuasca retreats as a multidimensional intervention, further work is required to assess the role of possible mediators underlying such shifts, while evaluating to what extent these are sustained for long term.

Knowledge Management and Organizational Commitment on Employees Performance at PT. Bank Aceh Syariah Takengon: A Moderating Effect of Talent Management

Purpose: This research examined the effect of knowledge management, organizational commitment, talent management on employee performance and examined the moderating effect of talent management.   Theoretical  Framework: Knowledge Management argued that knowledge management focuses on tools and techniques that support organizations to organize and translate information into meaningful knowledge. organizational commitment is a measure of employee compliance level with the organization that develops among employees through regular and timely participation in various activities in their roles or collective decision-making processes.   Method: The samples used were 120 employees at PT. Bank Aceh Syariah Takengon Branch. The analytical tool used was path analysis using the SEM (structural equation modeling) method using Amos.   Result: The results showed that knowledge management, organizational commitment, and talent management positively and significantly influenced employee performance. Talent management moderated knowledge management with employee performance in pseudo moderation and talent management mediated organizational commitment with employee performance in pseudo moderation.

Joint Collaboration of the Local Government (Regency, City, and Province) for the Successful Development in East Java Of Indonesia

Objective: This study aims to analyze and describe the Joint collaboration between Local Governments (Regency, City, and Province) in the context of regional development in East Java  Indonesia, and evaluate the extent to which the effectiveness of this collaboration is compared to the goals and objectives that have been set.   Theoretical framework: Development is defined as an effort or series of planned growth and change efforts carried out consciously by a nation, state, and government, towards modernity in the context of nation development (Siagian, 2005. Conceptual problems of regional development have been answered through a Collaborative Governance approach which involves the participation of stakeholder interests, which have recently been developed by experts who are members of the new paradigm of public government (Osborne, 2010). According to the view of Ansell & Gash (2008), Collaborative Governance is "a governance arrangement in which one or more public institutions collectively directly involve non-state stakeholders in formal collective decision-making processes. Phillips et al. (2000), suggest defining collaboration broadly to cover a wide range of activities and relationships. Following Bardach (1998) who builds on Braun et al. (1996), collaboration is defined as a joint activity, by two or more organizations, that is intended to create public value by working together rather than separately.   Method: This type of research is descriptive research with a qualitative approach. This approach was chosen to present data in a systematic, factual, and accurate manner regarding the facts in the field. The qualitative approach itself emphasizes the human element as a research instrument. By emphasizing the human element as a research instrument, it will make it easier to adapt research to the realities that occur in the field. Sugiyono in  Pasolong (2020) says that qualitative methods are research methods used to examine natural object conditions, as opposed to experiments, where researchers are key instruments, data collection techniques are carried out in triangulation (combined), data analysis is inductive and the results of qualitative research emphasize meaning rather than generalization. The research location taken was in East Java Province and the research site was the Office of the Regional Planning and Development Agency in East Java Province.   Results and Conclusions: The results of the study show that the Regional Development of East Java Province is basically to improve people's welfare based on social justice and is carried out sustainably. Development in an integrated and sustainable manner is oriented toward improving people's welfare. But until now, disparity and poverty are still problems in regional development. Sustainable inclusive infrastructure and economy are a priority for local government policies to reduce regional and socio-economic disparities by increasing inter-regional connectivity.   Implications of the research: This study presents policy implications that can be used by local, provincial, and national governments to encourage successful collaboration between regions. The consequences of this strategy could help develop stronger methods for enhancing regional cooperation.   Originality/value: This research presents an analysis of the paradigm shift from traditional bureaucracy to post-bureaucracy and how this change affects inter-regional cooperation. The study of bureaucratic paradigm changes in the context of inter-regional cooperation is a new contribution because it can provide a deeper understanding of the evolution of government governance in Indonesia.

Modelling farmland dynamics in response to farmer decisions using an advanced irrigation-related agent-based model

Often, individual, communal, regional, or even national conflicts arise when water resources are shared and used. For equitable water-sharing strategies to be implemented, adequate collective action is required to allocate water – not limited to, but specifically in irrigation systems. In this research, we develop an Advanced Irrigation-Related Agent-Based Model (AIRABM) to explore issues of unequal access to water in relation to water use on farm and system levels. By simulating farmer activities and system management decisions within an irrigation system, our research aims to explore farmland dynamics in response to different levels of decision-making according to water availability. We incorporate both individual and collective decision-making processes to explore patterns in farmers’ yields and the dynamics of farmlands. Our results show that (1) within a prevailing trend of increasing yields for higher river discharge and gate capacity, (2) the influence of water availability is characterized by nonlinear changes in yields in response to variations in river discharge and gate capacity, revealing thresholds and tipping points, with (3) strategies for water redistribution partially alleviate inequitable water allocation between upstream and downstream farmers, although considerable variation persists in individual farmers’ and system-wide harvest outcomes. The AIRABM emphasizes individual and collective decision-making processes, encapsulating the uncertainty stemming from water availability and harvests of individual farmers. The modeling framework serves as a valuable tool to explore cooperative approaches in shared (water) resource management. Our findings provide meaningful suggestions to study and promote communication and (conditional) cooperation measures between farmers and management, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of irrigation water distribution.

Cognitive Diversity or Cognitive Polarization? On Epistemic Democracy in a Post-Truth World

ABSTRACT Pessimism over a democracy’s ability to produce good outcomes is as longstanding as democracy itself. On one hand, democratic theorists consider democracy to be the only legitimate form of government on the basis that it alone promotes or safeguards intrinsic values like freedom, equality, and justice. On the other, skepticism toward the ordinary citizen’s cognitive capacities remains a perennial concern. Qualms about the epistemic value of democracy have only been made more pertinent by a fundamental problem of deep epistemic disagreement which underlies the post-truth phenomenon. I argue that the democratic theorists who have sought to defend democracy on epistemic grounds have thus far neglected such deep and intractable disagreements. Without addressing this oversight, the epistemic democrat will find that collective decision-making processes quickly become paralyzed and will not be able to yield the epistemic benefits they promise. Hence, the work for epistemic democrats is to recognize and take into account the ramifications of epistemic disagreements so as to make a stronger case for epistemic democracy.

The United Arab Emirates approach towards international space law: Divergence or convergence?

In recent years, new space actors have entered the field of space activities with great enthusiasm. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of these newcomers investing in this domain with a broad prospect based on a specific strategy and policy. Accordingly, in 2019, the UAE developed a legal framework to govern diverse space activities in line with its strategy and policy. This Law covers many challenging and complex items that have long been on the agenda of the Legal Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. This article aims to investigate the UAE National Space Law to bring to light the extent to which they are moving in line with the existing principles of international space law. Firstly, the Law, among other national legislation, will be assessed to determine whether it reshapes or reflects the existing international space law. Secondly, the key provisions of the Law will be highlighted and analyzed. The final part will discuss the correlation of this Law with the concept of NewSpace. In conclusion, the author will highlight the importance of multilateralism and collective decision-making processes in developing international space law principles.

Distributive Justice in Collaborative Outputs: Empowering Minority Viewpoints Through Deliberation

Abstract This article explores how deliberation affects distributive justice for minority view participants in policy decisions made through collaborative governance. It also examines whether the quality of deliberation (i.e., willingness to accept opposing viewpoints) and quantity of deliberation (i.e., length of discussion) can be an effective tool for minority view participants to overcome power imbalances in such collective decision-making processes. I use agent-based modeling, a computer simulation experiment method, to examine interactions among participants in a collaborative governance arrangement. I develop a series of theoretical propositions based on the simulation results, which are robust to various changes in the parameters and assumptions of the model. First, both the quality and quantity of deliberation may enhance the decision acceptability of participants with minority views. Second, the quality of deliberation may be more effective at empowering underrepresented minority view participants than the quantity of deliberation. Third, the quantity of deliberation may better promote minority views than the quality of deliberation when minority view participants are overrepresented. These findings indicate that interpersonal justice in collaborative processes may enhance distributive justice for minority viewpoints in collaborative outputs, even when procedural justice in the design of collaboration is weakened by an underrepresentation of minority view participants. I conclude with suggestions for future research that can further improve the external validity of the theoretical propositions.

The internal fragility of representative democracy: was Schumpeter right?

In recent decades, the rapid emergence of new political leaders capturing growing social discontent with populist promises has highlighted elements of the internal fragility of democracy. Schumpeter predicts such fragility in Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy, where, in analyzing thse “competitive struggle for the popular vote,” he makes two assumptions that reverse the classical model of rational decision-making: the limited use of “conscious rationality” by voters and the potential unfairness of political leaders. These two elements introduce systematic distortions into the process of collective decision-making in democracy, suggesting a possible explanation for the rise of populism. Based on delegation, representative democracy must function despite the small amount of intellectual effort that most citizens put into forming their political opinions. Ideologies have historically functioned as implicit heuristics, allowing citizens to evaluate political facts, shape their expectations, and simplify political reasoning; as such, they have been the tools used by parties to give credibility to their programs while at the same time affiliating and polarizing the electorate. While they continue to serve as anchors for defining political identity, today's ideologies are fragmented and therefore less effective in supporting long-term programs and retaining voters; thus, keeping voters close to their political affiliation requires massive use of the media, and for emerging parties lacking strong identitarian values, a short-term political offer becomes less risky than formulating long-term political strategies. At the same time, the decline of classical ideologies makes any political commitment to long-term perspectives hardly credible to the electorate. This leads to an adverse selection process in which populist programs have a better chance of success than long-term policy programs. As a result, the role of the political leader as an entrepreneur is severely weakened. The competition for votes becomes unfair (since it is not based on the quality or plausibility of policy results), while at the same time the process of polarization disrupts the elements of mediation. The result is a process of democratic backsliding that can ultimately lead to a loss of trust in democracy.

Transferable Skills and Big Ideas for the Next Generation of (Paleo)Environmental Decision Makers: A Curricular Example Using Salmon Restoration and Conservation in the Pacific Northwest for Undergraduate and Graduate Student Training

Future (paleo)environmental and Earth scientists will need to partake in interdisciplinary dialogue and apply systems thinking to address current and projected environmental problems. Towards this goal, undergraduate and graduate student training should include transferable skills, such as the ability to identify policy claims and understand the role of values, beliefs and attitudes when engaging potential stakeholders. Students should also have robust opportunities to practice these skills in the context of big ideas or issues that are environmentally-relevant. Here we present an example of a project-based scenario which has students first build a set of physical, biological, geohistorical, regulatory, social, and environmental justice “landscape” layers at the watershed-level. Second, the students consider real proposed restoration projects to recover salmon, and convince stakeholders and funding agencies to support their highest priority project. The projects are scored and ranked using Washington State Salmon Funding Recovery Board (SRFB) technical and social criteria. Students gain experience in; 1) analyzing interactions among the science and policy landscape layers in their watersheds, 2) navigating the process of individual and collective decision making regarding restoration and conservation, and 3) communicating to broad audiences, such as the SRFB which includes indigenous, government agency, academic, industry, and non-profit representatives. The ability to connect scientific understandings of the natural world, including paleobiological perspectives, to policy and decision making is a skill-set that needs to be taught and practiced at the undergraduate and graduate levels. While the connections are often clear, acting on those connections is usually the challenge, and student training prepares the next generation of (paleo)environmental decision makers.

Method for decomposition a global task into local tasks through the process of collective decision making in swarm robotic systems

Objective. The purpose of the work is to increase the efficiency of the process of task allocation through preliminary decomposition and prioritization of tasks based on the process of collective decision-making (CDM) in swarm robotic systems (SRS).Method. Task decomposition implemented using a hybrid decision-making strategy, the majority principle of changing opinions using distributed registry technology for disseminating opinions among SRS agents and aggregating accumulated knowledge about the functioning environment. An element of scientific novelty is the proposed SRS procedure, which provides the possibility of assessing the priority of tasks, which in turn improves the efficiency of the SRS agents.Result. Software implementation of the proposed method made in the C++ programming language. For the experiments, the scenario of collective perception by SRS agents in a specialized simulation environment ARGoS was used.Conclusion. The method implemented using the solutions proposed in the work turned out to be more efficient than the method based on the greedy algorithm. The proposed solutions can be used not only in SRS, but also in any other robotic systems with decentralized control, designed to monitor and control environmental parameters.

Integrating national culture into the organizational performance feedback theory

The organizational response to performance feedback is a collective process in which groups of decision-makers face uncertainty about the future when making organizational decisions based on past performance feedback. Culture is an important variable to explain the context of collective decision processes, but it is not well understood by Organizational Performance Feedback Theory (PFT) research. The current internationalization trend of PFT research poses the question if empirical results are comparable across different cultural settings, and whether culture is a general condition of organizational performance feedback. We analyze the role of national culture as a proxy for collective interpretive processes that influence the organizational decision-making process in response to performance feedback, and we resolve some of the unexplained variances in the empirical results. We use a meta-analysis to understand if national culture poses a general condition for the organizational performance feedback process. We analyze the empirical results of 153 PFT studies covering organizations from 16 countries, and we examine the impact of four dimensions of national culture: uncertainty avoidance, performance orientation, future orientation, and institutional collectivism. We demonstrate that national culture is an important concept for PFT development.

Public administration and politics: correlation of theoretical concepts in historical retrospect

The article analyzes the classification of the relationship between politics and administration, it was found that four models are distinguished according to the degree of interrelationship: classical, bureaucratic, deliberative, and hybrid. The formation and characteristic features of each model are considered. It was singled out a number of advantages of the hybrid model and given four main reasons that recommend its use: 1) provides an innovative (non-rationalist) view of the political process; 2) integrates policy and administration; 3) is sensitive to the complex nature of public policy; 4) it has the potential to deepen the democratic process. In modern socio-economic conditions, the Ukrainian system of public administration has not yet found an optimal relationship between politics and administration, there is no clear separation of administrative and political functions. The reality of public administration shows that Ukraine lacks professional administrators-managers, free from the “pressure” of politics, as well as politicians who understand administrative mechanisms. However, the science of public administration was conceived as a technical way of solving social problems, which allows people to avoid the pitfalls of politics. It can be said that society would have better life if the collective decision-making process was devoid of political mediation and instead based solely on scientific approach. Although even in this case, it is worth remembering that public administration, which is guided by the instrumental type of rationality, does not allow civil society (which is based on the communicative type of rationality) to have a significant impact on administrative activities. Therefore, in our opinion, the best way to combine such similar and at the same time different phenomena as politics and administration is the method proposed by the hybrid model, because it defines: a) that public administration performs both administrative and political tasks; b) the political process as a continuous dispute that is never resolved forever, the hybrid model is adapted to the increasingly complex conditions of policy formation. After all, the hybrid model notes the coexistence of several views; it allows political subjects to express their disagreement through political centers. By identifying conflict in the political process, the hybrid model promotes the development of democratic practices and institutions. Dissent, rather than binding consensus, is indispensable for revitalizing democratic processes and eliminating the “democratic deficits” that pervade modern societies.

Ethics of Autonomous Collective Decision-Making: The Caesar Framework

In recent years, autonomous systems have become an important research area and application domain, with a significant impact on modern society. Such systems are characterized by different levels of autonomy and complex communication infrastructures that allow for collective decision-making strategies. There exist several publications that tackle ethical aspects in such systems, but mostly from the perspective of a single agent. In this paper we go one step further and discuss these ethical challenges from the perspective of an aggregate of autonomous systems capable of collective decision-making. In particular, in this paper, we propose the Caesar approach through which we model the collective ethical decision-making process of a group of actors—agents and humans, as well as define the building blocks for the agents participating in such a process, namely Caesar agents. Factors such as trust, security, safety, and privacy, which affect the degree to which a collective decision is ethical, are explicitly captured in Caesar. Finally, we argue that modeling the collective decision-making in Caesar provides support for accountability.

Neural networks reveal emergent properties of collective learning in democratic but not despotic groups

Collective learning, the improvement of behaviours through experience of collective actions, is an area of animal learning that has received little attention. We investigated how individual learning during collective actions could produce improvements in collective performance, and how collective decision-making processes, including leadership dynamics, could impact upon learning. We trained artificial neural networks, either solo or paired, at an orientation task, based upon collective navigation in animals. In pairs, we implemented two rules of collective decision making: ‘democratic’ (weighted average of individual propositions) or ‘despotic’ (one individual's proposition, determined randomly with weighted probabilities in each trial). Decision-making weightings were varied between pairs, but fixed for a given pair, with asymmetric weightings generating ‘leaders’ and ‘followers’. We found nearly all pairs improved their orientation, but more slowly than solo learners. Within pairs, leaders learnt more quickly than followers (‘the passenger–driver effect’). In democratic pairs, collective performance improved through individuals learning to compensate for partner error. This emergent process was not observed in pairs with despotic decision making, in which individuals learnt similarly to solo learners. Our model helps to clarify the links between individual learning, collective decision making and collective performance, in the context of collective navigation, and collective behaviour, more generally. • We modelled collective learning using artificial neural networks. • The passenger-driver effect emerged: leaders learned more quickly than followers. • We found that in democratic pairs, compensation for partner error emerged. • In despotic pairs, individuals learned similarly to solo learners.