
Game Theory I
Course Code
PLSC 30901 91
Cross Listed Course Code(s)
PLSC 29102, HMRT 29102
Course Description
The origins of game theory in political science reach back to the arms race at the height of the cold war. Since then, its applications in political science have proliferated to explaining regime transitions, civil war conduct, and even climate change. This quarter will be taught as an introduction to applications of game theory in Political Science. It will be centered on topics of electoral competition, allocation of public goods, political lobbying, voting in legislatures, and the formation of government coalitions. We will cover basic solution concepts, including the Nash Equilibrium and the Subgame Perfect Nash Equilibrium. Many other game theorists have been recognized by the Swedish Academy, including, Roger Myerson, Robert Aumann, Amartya Sen, Eleanor Ostrom, Jean Tirole and most recently, in 2020, Paul Milgram and Richard Wilson.
Course Criteria
This course is the first part of the formal theory theory sequence in the Political Science program at The University of Chicago. It serves as a prerequisite to Game Theory II in the Winter Quarter.
Instructor(s)
Monika Nalepa
UChicago Registration 1