Schelling games, Kuran dominos and electoral coalitions. Non-standard game-theoretic models of collective action

Kaminski, Marek

Abstract

Non-cooperative games such as the Prisoner’s Dilemma, Stag Hunt, Asymmetric Coordination and others are primary tools used for modeling collective action. I consider formal models that are close cousins of such standard games: Schelling’s games, Kuran’s dominos and partition function form games. For certain empirical problems, each of these formalisms may have advantages over standard games. Among the benefi ts there are mathematical simplicity, more intuitive depiction of represented phenomena, and better operationalizability. I formalize all three models and prove simple existence theorems for two of them. The detailed examples of applications include vaccination, unpredictability of revolutions, and electoral coalitions.

Keywords

collective action (3)non-cooperative games (1)partition function (1)schelling’s games (1)kuran’s games (1)mancur olson (3)

References

Chwe, Michael. (1994). Farsighted coalitional stability. Journal of Economic Theory, 63, 299-325. [Google Scholar]
Flood, Merrill M. (1952). Some Experimental Games. Research Memorandum RM-789. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. [Google Scholar]
Hardin, Russell. (1982). Collective Action. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. [Google Scholar]
Kaminski, Marek M. (1999). How Communism Could Have Been Saved. Formal Analysis of Electoral Bargaining in Poland in 1989. Public Choice, 1-2(98), 83-109. [Google Scholar]
Kaminski, Marek M. (2001). Coalitional Stability of Multi-Party Systems. American Journal of Political Science, 45(2), 294-312. [Google Scholar]
Kaminski, Marek M. (2006). General Equilibrium Model of Multiparty Competition, Social Choice and Welfare, 26(2), 336-361. [Google Scholar]
Kaminski, Marek M., Grzegorz Lissowski and Piotr Swistak. (1998). The “Revival of Communism” or the Effect of Institutions? The 1993 Polish Parliamentary Elections. Public Choice, 97(3), 429-449. [Google Scholar]
Kuran, Timur. (1989). Sparks and prairie fires: A theory of unanticipated political revolution. Public Choice, 61(1), 41-74. [Google Scholar]
Lexington. (2015). Thundering herd. The Economist, 26 (September), 35. [Google Scholar]
Milchtaich, Igal. (2014). Static Stability in Symmetric and Population Games. Working paper, Bar-Ilan University econ.biu.ac.il/files/economics/working-papers/2008-04_0.pdf (accessed on November 5, 2015). [Google Scholar]
Nash, John. (1951). Noncooperative games. Annals of Mathematics, 54, 289-295. [Google Scholar]
Olson, Mancur. (1965). The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. [Google Scholar]
Olson, Mancur. (1982). The Rise and Decline of Nations: Economic Growth, Stagflation, and Social Rigidities. New Haven: Yale University Press. [Google Scholar]
Olson, Mancur. (1990). The logic of collective action in Soviet-type societies. Journal of Soviet Nationalities, 1(2), 8-33. [Google Scholar]
Poundstone, William. (1992). Prisoner’s Dilemma. Anchor Books: New York. [Google Scholar]
Rosenthal, Robert. (1972). Cooperative games in effectiveness form. Journal of Economic Theory, 5, 88-101. [Google Scholar]
Sandler, Todd. (1992). Collective Action. Theory and Applications. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. [Google Scholar]
Schelling, Thomas C. (1973). Hockey Helmets, Concealed Weapons, and Daylight Saving: A Study of Binary Choices with Externalities. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 3 (17), 381-428. [Google Scholar]
Skyrms, Brian. (2004). The Stag Hunt and the Evolution of Social Structure. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar]
Thrall, Robert M. (1962). Generalized Characteristic Functions for n-person Games. In: Recent Advances in Game Theory. Princeton: Princeton University Conferences, 157-160. Tucker, Albert W. (1950). A two-person dilemma. Mimeographed paper, Stanford University. [Google Scholar]
von Neumann, John and Oskar Morgenstern. (1944). Theory of Games and Economic Behavior. Princeton: Princeton University Press (reprinted 1990). [Google Scholar]

Full metadata record

Cite this record

APA style

Kaminski, Marek (2015). Schelling games, Kuran dominos and electoral coalitions. Non-standard game-theoretic models of collective action. (2015). Schelling games, Kuran dominos and electoral coalitions. Non-standard game-theoretic models of collective action. Decyzje, (24), 91-105. https://doi.org/10.7206/DEC.1733-0092.62 (Original work published 12/2014AD)

MLA style

Kaminski, Marek. “Schelling Games, Kuran Dominos And Electoral Coalitions. Non-Standard Game-Theoretic Models Of Collective Action”. 12/2014AD. Decyzje, no. 24, 2015, pp. 91-105.

Chicago style

Kaminski, Marek. “Schelling Games, Kuran Dominos And Electoral Coalitions. Non-Standard Game-Theoretic Models Of Collective Action”. Decyzje, Decyzje, no. 24 (2015): 91-105. doi:10.7206/DEC.1733-0092.62.

Copyright info

CC-BY

[1] Chwe, Michael. (1994). Farsighted coalitional stability. Journal of Economic Theory, 63, 299-325. [Google Scholar]

[2] Flood, Merrill M. (1952). Some Experimental Games. Research Memorandum RM-789. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. [Google Scholar]

[3] Hardin, Russell. (1982). Collective Action. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. [Google Scholar]

[4] Kaminski, Marek M. (1999). How Communism Could Have Been Saved. Formal Analysis of Electoral Bargaining in Poland in 1989. Public Choice, 1-2(98), 83-109. [Google Scholar]

[5] Kaminski, Marek M. (2001). Coalitional Stability of Multi-Party Systems. American Journal of Political Science, 45(2), 294-312. [Google Scholar]

[6] Kaminski, Marek M. (2006). General Equilibrium Model of Multiparty Competition, Social Choice and Welfare, 26(2), 336-361. [Google Scholar]

[7] Kaminski, Marek M., Grzegorz Lissowski and Piotr Swistak. (1998). The “Revival of Communism” or the Effect of Institutions? The 1993 Polish Parliamentary Elections. Public Choice, 97(3), 429-449. [Google Scholar]

[8] Kuran, Timur. (1989). Sparks and prairie fires: A theory of unanticipated political revolution. Public Choice, 61(1), 41-74. [Google Scholar]

[9] Lexington. (2015). Thundering herd. The Economist, 26 (September), 35. [Google Scholar]

[10] Milchtaich, Igal. (2014). Static Stability in Symmetric and Population Games. Working paper, Bar-Ilan University econ.biu.ac.il/files/economics/working-papers/2008-04_0.pdf (accessed on November 5, 2015). [Google Scholar]

[11] Nash, John. (1951). Noncooperative games. Annals of Mathematics, 54, 289-295. [Google Scholar]

[12] Olson, Mancur. (1965). The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. [Google Scholar]

[13] Olson, Mancur. (1982). The Rise and Decline of Nations: Economic Growth, Stagflation, and Social Rigidities. New Haven: Yale University Press. [Google Scholar]

[14] Olson, Mancur. (1990). The logic of collective action in Soviet-type societies. Journal of Soviet Nationalities, 1(2), 8-33. [Google Scholar]

[15] Poundstone, William. (1992). Prisoner’s Dilemma. Anchor Books: New York. [Google Scholar]

[16] Rosenthal, Robert. (1972). Cooperative games in effectiveness form. Journal of Economic Theory, 5, 88-101. [Google Scholar]

[17] Sandler, Todd. (1992). Collective Action. Theory and Applications. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. [Google Scholar]

[18] Schelling, Thomas C. (1973). Hockey Helmets, Concealed Weapons, and Daylight Saving: A Study of Binary Choices with Externalities. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 3 (17), 381-428. [Google Scholar]

[19] Skyrms, Brian. (2004). The Stag Hunt and the Evolution of Social Structure. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar]

[20] Thrall, Robert M. (1962). Generalized Characteristic Functions for n-person Games. In: Recent Advances in Game Theory. Princeton: Princeton University Conferences, 157-160. Tucker, Albert W. (1950). A two-person dilemma. Mimeographed paper, Stanford University. [Google Scholar]

[21] von Neumann, John and Oskar Morgenstern. (1944). Theory of Games and Economic Behavior. Princeton: Princeton University Press (reprinted 1990). [Google Scholar]

Decyzje