A theorem connecting Shapley-Owen power scores and the radius of the yolk in two dimensions (Q749433)

This paper presents a theorem that relates the size of the yolk to bounds on the Shapley-Owen powers that can be assigned to voters at a given distance from the center of the yolk. The theorem says that in a two- dimensional case, the maximum Shapley-Owen power score, P, for an actor with an ideal point at a distance d from the center of the yolk is 2 arcsin(r/d)\(\pi\), where r is the radius of the yolk. While the theorem holds only in the two-dimensional case, its implications are interesting. First, the power of an interest group is a function of not only the number of votes the group has but also the distance of its position from the center. Moreover, pivotal voters may be in the best position to derive benefits from having the ability to shift voting outcomes by a shift of their votes.