F1IS 4120 - Game Theory and Conflict : an Experimental Approach

This course offers an overview of the theoretical and experimental tools that can be applied to the study of negotiations in the shadow of conflict, also called “crisis bargaining”. The course starts with an introduction to both cooperative and non-cooperative game theory “from scratch”. This includes how economics experiments have validated and often contradicted game-theoretic predictions. The second part of the course applies these tools to the study of negotiations between countries or communities that can also resort to conflict to attain their goals. The course uses mostly the tools of applied game theory and experimental economics, although it also encompasses to some extent the scholarly traditions of political science and military strategy. The course requires little mathematics, but it is important that students taking it are comfortable with some degree of abstraction, e.g. use of notation and graphs.

Learning Outcomes

1. Ability to reason and analyze conflict-related problems with economic tools

2. Ability to design experiments to validate theories and produce new insights

3. Ability to identify common forces in seemingly different conflict-related situations

4. Ability to use theory and experiments to identify the essential factors in strategic interactions

Professional Skills

1. Learn to structure thoughts with economic reasoning and mechanisms

2. Learn the rudiments of economic experiments that can be used both in the lab and in the field

3. Improve group work and presentation skills

4. Improve writing skills

Santiago SANCHEZ-PAGES

Séminaire

English

- In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester

- Reading and Preparation for Class: 4 hours a week / 48 hours a semester

- Research and Preparation for Group Work: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester

- Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester

None.

Autumn 2023-2024

There are 3 assessments.

(i) Writing a research paper (between 2500-3000 words) on a topic chosen by the student: 60% of final mark

(ii) Presentation in class, in groups of 1, 2, or 3, on topics proposed by the instructor. 30% of final mark, half (15%) assessed by the other groups, the other half (15%) assessed by the instructor

(iii) Participation in class (10%).

Feedback on students' presentations will be given via pre-specified forms containing the assessment criteria after presentations take place in the last sessions of the module. Feedback on research papers will be personalized and at least 200 words long, covering 6 pre-specified criteria; it will be made available to students no later than 4 weeks after the submission deadline.