Section L0201: Class R2-4 in MS 2172 (Martin J. Osborne). Tutorial F1-3 in ES 1050 (Christopher Dobronyi).
In the following schedule, IGT refers to my book An introduction to game theory.
I will post slides for each class by the morning of the day of the class. The compact versions are best for printing, the complete ones best for viewing on a screen.
- Week 1 (September 7)
-
Strategic games and Nash equilibrium (IGT Chapter 1 and 2.1–2.7).
Slides: complete (2MB, 2017-09-06 15:24:57) | compact (1MB, 2017-09-06 15:28:46)
Related links:
- Split or steal?: Two people play a game closely related to the Prisoner's Dilemma.
Problem Set 1 (27KB, 2017-09-06 15:25:17) • Solutions for Problem Set 1 (36KB, 2017-09-13 10:37:37) - Week 2 (September 14)
-
Examples of Nash equilibrium in games with many players. Competition between firms: the models of Bertrand and Cournot (IGT 3.2 and 3.1). Using best response functions to find Nash equilibria in general games (IGT 2.8)
Slides: complete (876KB, 2017-09-13 16:12:26) | compact (165KB, 2017-09-13 16:12:35)
Problems for Tutorial 2 (31KB, 2017-09-13 16:13:05) • Solutions for Tutorial 2 (40KB, 2017-09-16 20:15:38)
Problem Set 2 (32KB, 2017-09-13 16:12:50) • Solutions for Problem Set 2 (52KB, 2017-09-20 12:10:09) - Week 3 (September 21)
-
Electoral competition (IGT 3.3).
Slides: complete (574KB, 2017-09-20 12:10:28) | compact (173KB, 2017-09-20 12:10:43)
Problems for Tutorial 3 (27KB, 2017-09-20 12:11:09) • Solutions for Tutorial 3 (30KB, 2017-09-22 21:23:18)
Problem Set 3 (30KB, 2017-09-29 23:08:26) • Solutions for Problem Set 3 (34KB, 2017-09-29 23:08:46) - Week 4 (September 28)
-
Mixed strategy Nash equilibrium (IGT 4.1–4.3 and 4.5).
Slides: complete (493KB, 2017-09-27 15:44:24) | compact (144KB, 2017-09-27 15:44:34)
Problems for Tutorial 4 (23KB, 2017-09-27 15:44:59) • Solutions for Tutorial 4 (28KB, 2017-09-29 23:07:57)
Problem Set 4 (26KB, 2017-09-27 15:44:47) • Solutions for Problem Set 4 (31KB, 2017-10-03 15:30:26) - Week 5 (October 5)
-
Applications of mixed strategy Nash equilibrium: expert diagnosis and the volunteer's dilemma (IGT 4.6 and 4.8).
Slides: complete (528KB, 2017-10-03 15:30:48) | compact (131KB, 2017-10-03 15:30:59)
Related links:
- Battle of wits: Vizzini reasons about the reasoning of the Man in Black and about the reasoning of the Man in Black about Vizzini. From The Princess Bride.
- Script of "The Princess Bride": Search for "Battle of wits".
Problem Set 5 (37KB, 2017-10-03 15:31:12) • Solutions for Problem Set 5 (41KB, 2017-10-11 15:17:43) - Week 6 (October 12)
-
Implications of rationality and beliefs about others' rationality. Strict domination (IGT 2.9.1). Never-best responses. Iterated elimination of strictly dominated actions. Weak domination. (IGT 2.9; see also 12.2 and 12.3, although the treatment there is more advanced than the one in class.)
Slides: complete (945KB, 2017-10-12 13:35:36) | compact (250KB, 2017-10-12 13:35:52)
Problems for Tutorial 6 (28KB, 2017-10-11 15:26:18) • Solutions for Tutorial 6 (30KB, 2017-10-13 22:59:01)
Problem Set 6 (32KB, 2017-10-11 15:26:07) • Solutions for Problem Set 6 (38KB, 2017-10-13 22:59:15) - Week 7 (October 19)
-
Collective choice: voting (IGT 2.9.3); committee decision-making (IGT 2.9.4); voting with imperfect information and the "swing voter's curse"; juries (IGT 9.7).
Friday October 20, 1:10pm - 3pm: Midterm exam in room EX 100.
Slides: complete (1014KB, 2017-10-18 16:21:32) | compact (294KB, 2017-10-18 16:21:42)
Problem Set 7 (20KB, 2017-10-18 16:21:50) • Solutions for Problem Set 7 (30KB, 2017-10-24 12:17:56)
Midterm test (42KB, 2017-11-05 15:14:02)
Midterm test with solutions (61KB, 2017-11-05 15:14:37) - Week 8 (October 26)
-
Auctions: private value sealed-bid auctions under first- and second-price rules; common value auctions (IGT 9.6).
Slides: complete (486KB, 2017-10-24 12:16:28) | compact (130KB, 2017-10-24 12:16:41)
Related links:
- Christie's auction: Big Campbell's soup can with can opener, by Andy Warhol, is sold in an open ascending auction
- Auction of fish at Tsukiji market, Tokyo, Japan: An open ascending auction. You can see bids at 1:35 and 1:48.
- Auction of fish in Honolulu: An open ascending auction.
- Dutch auction: An open descending auction. A huge volume of flowers are sold this way every day in the Netherlands
- Cattle auction: An open ascending auction. The rapid-fire patter is discussed in this article.
- Hal Varian, Chief Economist of Google, explains how Adwords works
Problem Set 8 (40KB, 2017-10-24 12:16:54) • Solutions for Problem Set 8 (45KB, 2017-11-01 20:45:55) - Week 9 (November 2)
-
Extensive games: subgame perfect equilibrium (IGT 5.1-5.5).
Slides: complete (812KB, 2017-11-01 20:46:18) | compact (208KB, 2017-11-01 20:46:32)
Problems for Tutorial 9 (23KB, 2017-11-01 20:47:03) • Solutions for Tutorial 9 (28KB, 2017-11-15 23:14:37)
Problem Set 9 (36KB, 2017-11-01 20:46:50) • Solutions for Problem Set 9 (57KB, 2017-11-14 13:34:15) - Week 10 (November 16)
-
Extensive games: Stackelberg duopoly; ultimatum and holdup games (IGT 6.1, 6.2).
Slides: complete (633KB, 2017-11-14 13:34:33) | compact (216KB, 2017-11-14 13:34:45)
Problems for Tutorial 10 (33KB, 2017-11-14 13:35:09) • Solutions for Tutorial 10 (49KB, 2017-11-18 14:20:48)
Problem Set 10 (48KB, 2017-11-14 13:34:58) • Solutions for Problem Set 10 (50KB, 2017-11-21 15:03:55) - Week 11 (November 23)
-
Repeated games and collusion (IGT 14.1-14.12).
Slides: complete (475KB, 2017-11-21 15:04:14) | compact (117KB, 2017-11-21 15:04:24)
Problems for Tutorial 11 (32KB, 2017-11-21 15:04:47) • Solutions for Tutorial 11 (33KB, 2017-11-27 22:05:54)
Problem Set 11 (35KB, 2017-11-21 15:04:35) • Solutions for Problem Set 11 (39KB, 2017-11-28 21:12:36) - Week 12 (November 30)
-
Extensive games with imperfect information; signaling games (IGT 10.1-10.5, 10.7)
Slides: complete (1018KB, 2017-11-30 21:32:14) | compact (279KB, 2017-11-30 21:32:31)
Problems for Tutorial 12 (21KB, 2017-11-28 21:13:48) • Solutions for Tutorial 12 (31KB, 2017-12-02 20:13:48)
Problem Set 12 (42KB, 2017-11-28 21:13:34) • Solutions for Problem Set 12 (37KB, 2017-12-02 20:14:15) - Final exam
- Final exam with solutions (68KB, 2018-01-09 11:47:34)