This course uses the analytical framework of strategic and evolutionary game theory to explore two big questions in social science: first, how do social structures such as norms, institutions, social or economic classes, property rights, nation-states, etc., come about, what do they do, and how are they sustained or superseded? And second, why is it that some social structures "work better," in the sense of supporting more cooperative, mutually beneficial social interactions? After introducing some basic game-theoretic concepts and methods of analysis, the course will address a range of topics including the economic nature of the political state, the emergence and sustainability of the "rule of law" in modern societies, the economic and social determinants of democracy and dictatorship, and institutional conditions favorable to economic prosperity. Course readings feature the work of recent Economics Nobel laureates Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James Robinson, among others. Students will participate in online interactive games that reflect some of the core ideas introduced in the course. |