Power in Liquid Democracy

The paper develops a theory of power for delegable proxy voting systems. We define a power index able to measure the influence of both voters and delegators. Using this index, which we characterize axiomatically, we extend an earlier game-theoretic model by incorporating power-seeking behavior by agents. We analytically study the existence of pure strategy Nash equilibria in such a model. Finally, by means of simulations, we study the effect of relevant parameters on the emergence of power inequalities in the model. A Power Index for Liquid Democracy Once delegations are settled, liquid democracy results in weighted voting where only gurus vote with the sum of weights they accrued from direct or indirect delegations. From a voting perspective, gurus are therefore the only