ChrisBALL

BOOKS for the Course

1. 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.

2. MIT OpenCourseWare Fall 2025 "Economic Applications of Game Theory" has notes and video lectures. It's more formal and thus possibly of interest to those of you with a little more math fluency and wanting to go deeper.  It looks like a nice "next step" building on my class".

3. Chris Ball (draft) "Modelling With Games: An Introduction to Modelling Human Behavior Using Game Theory"

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• Introduction

  • Watson Chap 1 "Introduction"

  • Watson Chap 5 "General Assumptions and Methodology"

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• Sequential Move Games Part I

  • Reading Ball Chap 1 "Modeling Basics"

  • Readings Watson

    • Chap 2 "The Extensive Form"​

      • Speed Trap Game and thoughts

        • A Speed Trap Game​

        • Extensions and thoughts on the Speed Trap Game

    • Chap 3 "Strategies and the Normal Form". Focus on the first part "Terminology and Notation for Strategies" and skip the Normal Form for now.​

  • ​Readings 

    • Handwritten Notes "Actions vs Strategies, Centipede Games, etc."

    • Handwritten Notes "Credibility and Entry Games"

    • Dixit Nalebuff, 1991, (p. 14 - 17) "Here I Stand" (commitment devices)

    • Dixit Nalebuff, 1992, Chap 6 (p. 142 - 167) "Credible Commitments"

  • Basic Games with numbers to look at: Eviction, Big John-Little John​, Google vs Microsoft, Dr. Strangelove

  • Practice Problems:  

    • Practice with Extensive Games: download here and download the KEY here.

    • Practice Problems 1: Mix of Extensive Form Games

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• Handling Variables and a Slightly Different Take on How to Use Games

  • Games with variables to look at: Kidnapping and Nuisance suits

  • Reading Bargaining Problems​ and Markets

    • 02.01 Bargaining Games Pt 1

    • 02.02 Bargaining Games Pt 2

    • 02.03 (Optional) Bargaining Games Pt 3 Rubenstein

    • Watson, Chap 19 (an interested student should do the class lectures first, then read Chap 18, 19 and 20)

  • Practice Problems:  

    • Practice Problems 2: Basic Bargaining Games

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• Sequential Move Games Part II

  • 02.04 Lemons Market 1

  • 03.01 Preferences of Individuals

  • 03.02 Preferences and Collective Choice

    • 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)​

  • 03.03 Preferences and Utility

  • 03.04 Utility and Uncertainty

  • 03.05 Strategic Voting

  • 03.06 Adding Random Actions Pt 1

  • Practice Problems:  

    • Practice Problems 3: Preferences (SKIP) and Strategic Voting

    • Practice Problems: Symmetric Info and Random Outcomes

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• Sequential Move Pt III: Principal Agent and Randomness

  • 04.01 Principal Agent Models 1 Linear Util and Certainty

  • 04.02 Principal Agent Models 2 Linear Util and Uncertainty

  • Extensions of the Principal Agent Model (not covered in class, Fall 2021, but totally doable)

    • 04.03 Principal Agent Models 3 NonLinear Util and Uncertainty

    • 04.05 Principal Agent Models 4 Extensions and Applications

    • 04.06 Princ Agents and Cheap Talk

    • 04.07 Princ Agents and Ultimatum

  • Practice Problems:  

    • ​Practice Problems  - Principal Agent Games

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Exam 1 (midterm): October TBA

Paper 1: October TBA

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• Sequential Move Games Part III: Randomness 2

  • Types and Adding Randomness early in the game​

  • How Lemons Destroy Markets and What Can Be Done

  • Bayesian Asymmetric Information Games

    • 05.01 Signaling Models 1 Gifts and Beliefs

    • 05.02 Signaling Models 2 Basic Lemons (again)

    • 05.03 Signaling Models 3 Education

    • Education Signaling Game (download)​​

  • Practice Problems:  

    • Practice Problems - Information Games

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• Simultaneous Move Games Part I

  • Strategic Form Games and Pure Nash Equilibria

    • 06.01 Simultaneous Moves Part 1

    • 06.02 Simultaneous Moves Part 2

    • 06.03 Simultaneous Moves Part 3 Some Classic Games

  • Sequential and Simultaneous Games: SPE again

    • 06.04 Simultaneous Games: SPE and Nash

  • Practice Problems:  

    • Practice Problems - Simultaneous Games to Practice

    • Practice Problems - More Simultaneous Games to Practice

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• Simultaneous Move Games Part II​

  • ​Mixed Nash

    • 06.05 Simultaneous Games and Mixed Nash

    • 06.06 Calculating Mixed Nash and Looking at Dominated Strategies

  • Practice Problems:  

    • Practice Problems - Mixed Nash 2022

  • Dominance Solvable Games: Location Games

    • 06.07 Dominated Solvability and Rationalizable

    • 06.08 Three Player Games

  • Practice Problems:  

    • Practice Problems - Location Games

  • Contracting and Law in Games

    • Notes are Watson Chap 13

    • My Notes: Contracting and Enforcement Pt 1

    • My Notes: Contracting and Enforcement Pt 2

    • My Notes: Contracting and Enforcement Pt 3: Court Remedies

  • Practice Problems:  

    • Practice Problems - Contracting

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Exam 2 (Final): TBA

​Paper 2: TBA December