Template-type: ReDif-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Storcken A.J.A. 
Author-Name: Can B. 
Author-workplace-name: GSBE
Title: A re-characterization of the Kemeny distance
Abstract: The well-known swap distance (Kemeny (1959); Kendall (1938); Hamming (1950)) is analyzed.
On weak preferences, this function was characterized by Kemeny (1959) with five conditions;
metric, betweenness, neutrality, reducibility, and normalization. We show that the same result
can be achieved without the reducibility condition, therefore, the original five conditions are
not logically independent. We provide a new and logically independent characterization of the
Kemeny distance and provide some insight to further analyze distance functions on preferences.
Keywords: Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement; Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations; Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior; 
Classification-JEL: D63; D71; D72.
Series:  Research Memorandum
Creation-Date: 2013
Number: 009
File-URL: http://pub.maastrichtuniversity.nl/5bc99848-9276-4cd5-95fc-88162618ab20
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 362837
Handle: RePEc:unm:umagsb:2013009