POL4087: Thinking Strategically About Politics

The purpose of this class is threefold. First is to introduce students to the use and value of formal models of strategic interaction (game theoretic models) in political science. Second is to impart some basic tools of such modeling to students. And third is to examine the contribution of theoretical models to several common game theoretic problems that appear across a variety of different political applications.In keeping with these three goals, the course is divided into three sections. The first session will be devoted to such questions as, what is a theoretical model? What are rational choice and game theory? The next portion of the class will introduce students to the basic tools employed in game theoretic analysis. The readings will illustrate the use of the tools introduced in class. Five problem sets will be administered, requiring students to make use of these tools. The final portion of the class will examine types of game theoretic problems that appear in a variety of political settings. These include retrospective voting and accountability, prospective voting and the role of the median voter, problems of coordination and the role of information, problems of collective action and the problem of free riding, and problems of credible commitment.

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