Game theory is a mathematically formalized theory of strategic interactions. One important field of application is economics, where game theory is used to analyze a vast variety of interactions, ranging from individuals within organizations, to firms competing in markets and nations engaged in international negotiations. In most instances, no single party, or player, can determine the outcome single-handedly; the outcome usually depends on several or all participants' behavior.
What is a player's best current move depends in part on moves already made, expected future moves, and on how others’ future moves are influenced by the player’s own current move. Hence, players' actions, information and expectations may be intertwined in a complex and fascinating pattern. The analysis of these interdependences is precisely what game theory is all about.

This course provides an introduction to non-cooperative and evoutionary game theory, two main fields within game theory. Our course contains rigorous mathematics as well as a variety of applications to economics. We will also briefly consider applications to political science (rational voting and electoral competition) and biology (adaptation of behaviors towards optimality). Participants will learn to master central game-theoretic concepts, methods and results that are used in modern economics, political science and evolutionary biology.

Course outline :
1. Introduction
2. Informal examples
3. Preference representation
4. The extensive and normal forms
5. Normal-form analysis
6. Extensive-form analysis
7. Evolutionary stability
8. Population dynamics
9. Euclidean games
10. Repeated games

Course taught in English

Readings :
- J. Weibull (2009): Lecture Notes in Game Theory (Ecole Polytechnique, Polycopy). [required reading]
- M. Osborne (2004): An Introduction to Game Theory. Oxford University Press. [recommended as additional reading]

Dernière mise à jour : lundi 2 juillet 2012