Social Choice Theory and Multicriteria Decision Aiding

The aim of this chapter is to present some important results in Social Choice Theory in a simple way and to discuss their relevance for multicriteria decision aiding. Using some classical examples of voting problems, we will show some fundamental difficulties arising when aggregating preferences. We will then present some theoretical results that can help us better understand the nature of these difficulties. We will then try to analyze the consequences of these results for multicriteria decision aiding. A long references list will help the interested reader to deepen his understanding of these questions.