Game Changer - the game theory podcast

In this episode, we discuss with our guest J. McKenzie Alexander evolutionary game theory and its applications. We start discussing different models from evolutionary game theory starting with the local interaction model and then moving to the replicator model. Based on that we then turn to applications in social theory especially when discussing proto-moral behaviour. J. McKenzie Alexander is Professor of Philosophy at the London School of Economics. His research explores the intersection of game theory, philosophy, and social theory. J. McKenzie Alexander has put together simulations of the discussed models on his homepage. Also, he is publishing a new book titled ‘The Open Society as an Enemy’.

In this episode, our guest Raymond Fisman explains to us the persistent challenge of corruption and the surprising ways in which political polarization and so called “wedge issues” help to sustain it. He shares his insights into why anti-corruption reforms remain elusive despite widespread public demand for honest governance and the creative measures some leaders have taken to battle corruption.  Raymond Fisman is the Slater Family Professor in Behavioral Economics at Boston University. His research explores the complex ways in which corruption and other informal behaviors influence markets, governance, and economic development. If you want to know more about Raymond’s research, you can check out his homepage.

In this episode, we explore the contributions of this year’s Nobel Prize laureates in Economics – Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James Robinson – and their work on the role of institutions in shaping economic prosperity. Our guest, Navid Sabet guides us through their core findings and shares his perspective on their influential research and its impact on the field of political economy. Finally, he connects these insights to his own research, examining how institutions affect immigration reform and economic opportunities.   Navid Sabet is Assistant Professor in Economics at Goethe University Frankfurt. His research interests lie in the areas of political economy, applied microeconomics and public economics. Navid mentions the Nobel Prize winners’ famous paper from 2001, “The Colonial Origins of Comparative Development: An Empirical Investigation”. You can find it here. For more info on Navid’s research, you can check out his homepage or his paper on Immigrant legalization and the redistribution of state funds in the US.  

In this episode, we dive into the world of online mediation mechanisms and how they can resolve disputes in digital marketplaces. As online transactions become more global and complex, the need for efficient, strategy-proof systems to mediate conflicts has never been more crucial. Selçuk Özyurt explains how these mechanisms should be designed to handle disputes fairly. In this context, we discuss properties like strategy proofness and efficiency and Selçuk explains under which conditions mediation mechanisms exist that fulfil these conditions.   Selçuk Özyurt is an Associate Professor of Economics at York University, with a research focus on game theory, mechanism and market design, and conflict resolution. The content of this episode is based on his paper Strategy-proof Multi-Issue Mediation: An Application to Online Dispute Resolution, which he co-authored with Onur Kesten.   --- Christmas raffle To participate in our Christmas raffle, just send an email  to [email protected] and let us know which book you want to win. Deadline of the raffle is 15 December 2024.