He was an Econometric Society fellow, and was the Edie and Lew Wasserman Professor of Political Science at the California Institute of Technology until his death, from cancer, in 2002.
The McKelvey theorem indicates that almost every possible outcome can be realized through democratic decision-making, by smartly choosing the order or agenda in which decisions are taken.
The desired result is established by ensuring that in each stage another composition of the majority determines the outcome of that part of the decision-making procedure.
The person who designs the decision-making procedure needs to know the preferences of the participants to achieve the most desirable outcome by shifting majorities.
The volume contains reprints of several of Richard McKelvey's classic papers along with original essays by leading names in political science.