How about measuring the "altruism score".
Yes, that's an alternative, and perhaps better, term. Adding to my comments on Viliam's comment, I think it's easier to infer absence of selfishness than presence of selfishness. If your views don't correlate with your interests, then clearly you're not taking positions on selfish reasons. But if they do, then you still might not necessarily take positions because of selfish reasons. As Viliam points out, the correlation might have other causes.
I don't quite follow your argument concerning VAA. You're saying in the last paragraph that this would create incentives for politicians to be even more dishonest about what they promise on election eve. At the same time you say above that this would reduce the power of journalists that find out which politicians vioate their promises. This seems to imply that politicians would violate less promises under this system, in your view. Or how do you mean?
At the same time you say above that this would reduce the power of journalists that find out which politicians vioate their promises. This seems to imply that politicians would violate less promises under this system, in your view.
No. Powerful journalists who punish politicians who violate promises put a disincentive on politicians violating promises. If journalists get less powerful in their function of holding politicians accountable for promises, politician will violate more promises.
At the present a lot of people read newspapers. Bob the journalist...
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