Imagine That Three City Council Members Are Trying to Decide $\succ$

question 19

Multiple Choice

Imagine that three city council members are trying to decide how to spend a surplus. The options currently being debated are (i) spend it on improving primary education in the municipality, (ii) spend it on improving the level of medical care offered by the local hospital, or (iii) lower local taxes and use the surplus to cover the costs of existing programs. The council employs majority rule to make its decisions. The councillors have the following preference orderings over the spending choices:
Councillor 1: Education $\succ$ Medical $\succ$ Tax cut
Councillor 2: Medical $\succ$ Tax cut $\succ$ Education
Councillor 3: Tax cut $\succ$ Education $\succ$ Medical
Assume that the councillors hold a round-robin tournament that pits each alternative against every other alternative in a series of pair-wise votes. The winner is the alternative that wins the most contests. Based on this information, answer the following four questions.
-Given the preference orderings listed above, what would the result be of a pair-wise contest between the spending choices tax cut and education?

• A) education
• B) medical
• C) tax cut
• D) it would be a tie

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Definitions:

Ethical Issues

Complex problems or situations that require a moral response, often involving a difficult choice.

Probation and Parole Officers

Probation and Parole Officers are law enforcement professionals who supervise offenders granted probation instead of jail time or those released from prison with conditions to follow.

Heavy Caseloads

A scenario where a professional, such as a lawyer or social worker, has more cases or clients to manage than is reasonably manageable, potentially affecting service quality.

Treatment Function

In criminal justice, refers to the efforts aimed at rehabilitating offenders and preparing them for successful reintegration into society.