Game Theory
QU Course Number: EC 355
Time: Tues & Thurs 3:30 pm - 4:45 pm
Location: College of Arts & Sciences 1, 219
Assoc. Prof. of Economics Chris Ball
Email: christopher.ball@qu.edu
Office phone: +1 203 582 8745
Office Location: 4th Floor Rocky Top Student Center
Download the FALL 2022 Syllabus
BOOKS for the Course
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Joel Watson, " Strategy: An Introduction to Game Theory (Third Edition)" I found this to be the best undergrad text to use and used it for years. I highly recommend it.
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Chris Ball (draft) "Modelling With Games: An Introduction to Modelling Human Behavior Using Game Theory"
Outline, Notes and Reading
Most of these are still based on the Watson textbook which I always used (see Book Recommendations)
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Introduction
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Watson Chap 1 "Introduction"
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Watson Chap 5 "General Assumptions and Methodology"
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Ball Chap 0 "Introduction"
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Sequential Move Games Part I
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Reading Ball Chap 1 "Modeling Basics"
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Readings Watson
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Chap 2 "The Extensive Form"
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Chap 3 "Strategies and the Normal Form". Focus on the first part "Terminology and Notation for Strategies" and skip the Normal Form for now.
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Readings
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Handwritten Notes "Actions vs Strategies, Centipede Games, etc."
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Handwritten Notes "Credibility and Entry Games"
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Dixit Nalebuff, 1991, (p. 14 - 17) "Here I Stand" (commitment devices)
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Dixit Nalebuff, 1992, Chap 6 (p. 142 - 167) "Credible Commitments"
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Basic Games with numbers to look at: Eviction, Big John-Little John, Google vs Microsoft, Dr. Strangelove
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Practice with Extensive Games: download here and download the KEY here.
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Practice Problems:
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Handling Variables and a Slightly Different Take on How to Use Games
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Games with variables to look at: Kidnapping and Nuisance suits
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Reading Bargaining Problems and Markets
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Watson, Chap 19 (an interested student should do the class lectures first, then read Chap 18, 19 and 20)
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Practice Problems:
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Sequential Move Games Part II
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03.02 Preferences and Collective Choice
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READING: Bueno de Mesquita, Chap 2 "Collective Goals:" Scanned Chap 2 from Ethan Bueno de Mesquita's Political Economy for Public Policy (amazon link to book)
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Practice Problems:
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Sequential Move Pt III: Principal Agent and Randomness
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Extensions of the Principal Agent Model (not covered in class, Fall 2021, but totally doable)
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Practice Problems:
MIDTERM Exam: THURSDAY, October 27th, 2022
Relevant Practice Problems:
Basic Extensive Form Practice: download here and download the KEY here.
Practice Problems 1: Mix of Extensive Form Games
Practice Problems 2: Basic Bargaining Games
Practice Problems: Symmetric Info and Random Outcomes
Practice Problems - Principal Agent Games
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Sequential Move Games Part III: Randomness 2
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Types and Adding Randomness early in the game
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How Lemons Destroy Markets and What Can Be Done
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Bayesian Asymmetric Information Games
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Practice Problems:
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Simultaneous Move Games Part I
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Strategic Form Games and Pure Nash Equilibria
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Sequential and Simultaneous Games: SPE again
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Practice Problems:
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Simultaneous Move Games Part II
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Mixed Nash
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Practice Problems:
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Dominance Solvable Games: Location Games
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Practice Problems:
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Contracting and Law in Games
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Notes are Watson Chap 13
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My Notes: Contracting and Enforcement Pt 1
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My Notes: Contracting and Enforcement Pt 2
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Practice Problems:
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FINAL Exam: THURSDAY, December 8th, 2022
Relevant Practice Problems:
Practice Problems - Information Games (Modified with only one-sided games)
Practice Problems - Simultaneous Games to Practice
Practice Problems - More Simultaneous Games to Practice
Practice Problems - Mixed Nash 2022
Practice Problems - Contracting
Final Paper Due - by midnight Tuesday, December 13, 2022
SEQUENTIAL MOVE GAMES
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Eviction Game (strategies vs actions and backward induction)
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"Big John Little John" game done in class (first, second mover)
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Google vs Microsoft, Gintis version
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Dr. Strangelove, Gintis version
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Kidnapping, Gintis version
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Nuisance Suits
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Rasmusses version plus other versions and discussion
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Strategic Voting, Ghintis version
SIMULATENEOUS MOVE
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2019 Watson Location Game (uses elimination of dominated strategies)
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2019 Welfare Game w Calc at End (Rasmussen)
SEQUENTIAL and/or SIMULTANEOUS ("complete games")
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Welfare Game no Calc (extensive then Rasmussen version)
ALL My Hand-Written Class Notes in One Place
PRACTICE PROBLEMS
EXCEL SHEETS to MAKE GAMES
Use these sheets however you like. Check them all. Take and use anything you like, modify it for your paper.