Course Description
Game theoretic analysis of politics. The role of information and uncertainty about preferences and beliefs.
Athena Title
GAME THEORY
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Strategic concerns are an important element to many political decisions. Therefore, the formal analysis of strategic choices is fundamental to political science and enhances one’s understanding of politics in general. This course introduces modern tools and techniques of formal analysis. The formal analysis in this class is deductively structured and logically based. The course has three broad goals. Our first goal is to learn about theories of individual and collective choice. Such knowledge will make you a better consumer of related research. Our second goal is to understand the application of such theories to various aspects of American politics. (Depending on students’ interests, we may discuss applications in other subfields as well.) Within American politics, formal analysis has been central to issues ranging from candidate strategy to the design of legislative systems. Our third goal is to develop our own applications of the tools and techniques discussed. The careful application of formal work will be a prominent concern throughout the course.
Topical Outline
Individual Preferences Ways to Aggregate Preferences. Basic Social Choice Results Dominant Strategy Equilibria, Iterated Dominance, Nash Equilibria Normal Form Games and Extensive Form Games. Nash Equilibria in Subgames Subgame Perfection Beliefs and Equilibrium Refinements Equilibrium Selection Issues: Equilibrium Refinements versus Narrow Applications
Syllabus