Checking date: 12/04/2018


Course: 2019/2020

Cooperation, collective action and formal models of strategy
(17719)
Bachelor in History and Politics (Plan: 394 - Estudio: 352)


Coordinating teacher:

Department assigned to the subject: Social Sciences Department

Type: Electives
ECTS Credits: 6.0 ECTS

Course:
Semester:




Description of contents: programme
1. Introduction: The rational-choice paradigm in the social sciences. The use of deductive methods and the role of rationality. 2. Decision theory (I): Mathematical representation of individual preferences. The ¿median voter theorem¿ in questions of political competition. 3. Decision theory (II): Individual choice under uncertainty. Risk-aversion and expected utility. 4. Static, non-cooperative games (I): Common knowledge. The concept of strategic dominance. 5. Static games (II): Nash equilibrium. 6. Static games (III): Coordination failures and collective-action problems. The problem of multiplicity of equilibria. 7. Repeated games: ¿Folk theorems¿ and the emergence of norms of reciprocity and cooperation. Endogenous emergence of roles and institutions. 8. Theory of bargaining. 9. Games of imperfect information: Signaling games. Deterrence problems in situations of conflict (prevention and escalation). 10. Cooperative games: Criteria of resource allocation in groups.
Assessment System
  • % end-of-term-examination 60
  • % of continuous assessment (assigments, laboratory, practicals...) 40

The course syllabus may change due academic events or other reasons.