1st Edition

Game Theory in the Social Sciences A Reader-friendly Guide

By Luca Lambertini Copyright 2011
    208 Pages 30 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    200 Pages 30 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Individuals, firms, governments and nations behave strategically, for good and bad. Over the last few decades, game theory has been constructed and progressively refined to become the major tool used by social scientists to understand, predict and regulate strategic interaction among agents who often have conflicting interests. In the surprisingly anodyne jargon of the theory, they ‘play games’. This book offers an introduction to the basic tools of game theory and an overview of a number of applications to real-world cases, covering the areas of economics, politics and international relations. Each chapter is accompanied by some suggestions about further reading.

    1. The Origins; a bit of History  2. What is a Game?  3. Solving a Game  4. Understanding Economics  5. Repeated Games and Collusive Behaviour  6. Uniderstanding Politics  7. Wargames  8. Trade, Security and Hegemony  9. The Role of Information  10. Cooperation and Bargaining

    Biography

    Luca Lambertini is Professor of Economics and Vice Dean in the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Bologna, Italy.