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

question 9

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 education and medical?

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

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Definitions:

Hypothalamus

An area of the brain situated beneath the thalamus that regulates the autonomic nervous system and the function of the pituitary gland, overseeing body temperature, thirst, hunger, and various other systems that maintain internal balance.

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Specialized skin cells that produce keratin, a key protein in the skin, hair, and nails.

Epidermis

The outermost layer of skin, serving as a barrier against environmental damage from water loss, bacteria, and other potential dangers.