Politics and Strategy, PS30, Syllabus Winter 2017

Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays, TR 12:30pm-1:45pm, WGYOUNG CS76

Professor: Barry ONeill, Bunche 4242
Office hours: Tues 3:00 4:00 or by appointment or walk-in.
Email: barry.oneill@polisci.ucla.edu. (Put PS30 in your subject line.)
TAs:
Jae-in Choi, jaeinchoi@ucla.edu
Yana Otlan, otlan@ucla.edu
Arseniy Samsonov, asamsonov94@ucla.edu
Sections
1A
TH 2:00P-2:50P
1B
TH 2:00P-2:50P
1C
TH 3:00P-3:50P
1D
TH 4:00P-4:50P
1E
TH 5:00P-5:50P
1F
TH 6:00P-6:50P
1G
FR 10:00A-10:50A
1H
FR 11:00A-11:50A

BUNCHE 2178
ROLFE 3134
HAINES A20
MS 5225
MS 5225
MS 5225
BUNCHE 3123
BUNCHE 2160

1I

FR 12:00P-12:50P

BUNCHE 3178

Course goals:
The Oscar-winning movie, A Beautiful Mind, told the story of John Nash, a founder of game
theory. According to the movie posters, He saw the world in a way no one had ever
imagined. This is a bit of an exaggeration, but its true that game theory prompts a
different way of looking at real problems.
The essence of game theory is how to analyze a conflict strategically when you know your
adversary is also analyzing it strategically. Its a systematic way of analyzing situations
where parties outcomes depend on all of their decisions together. This means that each
partys choice of a move depends on what it thinks the others will do.
To do a game theory analysis we must be precise about what each participant believes, what
they want and what moves they have available. Because these requirements usually cannot
be fully met, game theory is usually not too useful for giving specific advice about a specific
situation. Its purpose is understanding. It shows a conflicts logic and structure. That, in
my view, is the true part of the movie poster - its a different way of looking at reality and
that can be very useful.
This course is an introduction to game theory especially as it has been used in political
science. It has three goals.
- One is to teach you how to perform a technical game theory analysis of well-defined
situations that Ill give you.
- The second goal is to help you understand game-theoretical analyses in political science,
both their strengths and weaknesses. This involves translating a political conflict into a
well-defined game. Well have lots of recent examples in class.
- The third goal is to teach you how to think about conflict situations using game theory,
applying it in an informal way, without the math.
Game theory is not a theory in the sense of a set of claims about the world in this aspect
its different from the theories of relativity or evolution, which make claims about how the
world is. For this reason, game theory is not innately politically liberal or politically
conservative. Its more a way of constructing theories it gives a set of concepts and
categories we can use to state our ideas.
The modern wave of game theory began around 1944, and since then the method has
influenced economics, biology, law, philosophy and political science. It also has met
criticism, especially in political science, and well discuss the opposing ideas as well.
Text:

The text is Avinash Dixit, David Reiley and Susan Skeath, Games of Strategy. Norton,
available at the bookstore, also on the internet. Its a bit expensive so you might consider
buying a used copy from the net. These seem to go for about $50. ALSO, second and third
editions are ok, and cheaper. The book is a source for reading up on what I say in class and
its possible to get through the course without the book, but I advise against it.
The book is a bit wordy. Sometimes you are clearer about a concept, if you say what you
mean then shut up. On the other hand, what are unnecessary words for one student, may be
big revelations to another. They may be addressing just what the latter person was failing to
understand, so that is a justification for the text as it is.
There are other resources available that I can talk about in class. For example, one person
who teaches the course during another quarter, Kathy Bawn, has put her lectures on the web,
and a past PS30 TA, Marcos Menchaca, made up excellent practice problems with
explanations. Its url is:
http://menchaca.bol.ucla.edu/Teaching/IntroFormalPoliticalTheory.pdf
Remember, though, that when youre reading his worked-out examples, that the best way to
learn is to try to do the problem yourself and only AFTERWARDS see what he does. In
learning math, if you just read another persons proof, you can sometimes nod your head
thinking you understand each step when you dont. You cant let yourself be passive.
Doing it yourself first is the way to spot the gaps in your understanding. Also some of
Kathys and Marcos notation will be different, even though were all saying the same thing.
Ill follow both the order of topics and the vocabulary of the Dixit-Skeath-Reiley text. On
the website I might post some supplementary readings and notes as the course goes on.
Three Tips:
The first tip is to arrange to meet with other students and talk about the problems with each
other. Form study groups. The concepts are subtle and its very helpful to have other
peoples takes on them. Sometimes a misunderstanding on a single point blocks your
comprehension of much further material, so if something is puzzling try to clear it up and
dont let it slide. This tip becomes more important as TA sessions get larger. The text is
good for this, clearing up misunderstandings, and the TA sections are designed to deal with
it too, but I also recommend that people find partners or study groups to discuss the class
material. You can do it in person or by the course bulletin board, accessible through the
website. If you cant meet with others for some reason, ask questions of me in class or by
the class e-mail or in person. Go to the TA sessions and raise your puzzles. Take advantage
of TA office hours. For the assignments, youre also encouraged to use the website to ask
and answer questions.
Obviously they should be general questions, not How do you do #4? If questions like that
come up Ill object. Generally I expect the assignments you turn in to be your own.

The second tip is to do the problems every week. In a course involving mathematics you
have to do problems to understand the concepts. You cant just read the words of the text
and expect to get it, any more than you could learn to play chess by reading or learn a
language by just memorizing the rules. Its important to do the exercises.
The third tip is to not be distressed if you dont get something the first time. If I say it in
class and you dont understand it, thats what the sections are for. Plus if its important, it
will probably come up again, and again after that. The essence of game theory, why some
people like it and some people object to it, is that it takes a few ideas and applies them
widely. The ideas are simple but subtle. So youll hear a lot about, say, the Nash
equilibrium, or the concept of a strategy, from the start to the end.
Evaluation:
Well have eight assignments, handed out each in class Tuesdays (and posted on the web
that day) and due at the beginning of class on the following Tuesday. Theyll be worth 25%
altogether, the midterm will be worth 20%, the final 40%, and attendance and participation
in the sections will be 15%. These sum to 100%.
Im a stickler about academic honesty. For in-class exams, as classes get bigger, temptation
rises. However, I take the evaluation process very seriously, and Ill do my part to make
sure those who practice honesty arent put at a disadvantage.
While its a good idea to talk to other people about the assignments, its important that in the
end you answer them in your words and write them up yourself.
The TAs will probably be strict about late homeworks, as they have to be to avoid their TA
jobs swallowing up the time they need for their graduate work. Ill post homework
assignments and later post answers on the website.
It makes sense to write neatly dont annoy the TAs grading your work or make them
impatient.
In the grades I wont count lecture attendance or participation (in contrast to the sections
where attendance and participation do count.)
Sections will meet starting the first week that is, on Thurs Jan 12 and Friday Jan 13.
Students needing accommodation based on a disability should contact the Office for
Students with Disabilities at 310-825-1501 or go to Murphy Hall A255. Its better to do it
within the first two weeks for the sake of making the arrangements. For information:
www.osd.ucla.edu."

Be on time for class. Ill be and Ill start on time.

I dont mind students eating (if the rooms rules allow it) or even sleeping in class (quietly).
However . . . talking in an extended way, or visibly doing other things like reading the Daily
Bruin, is out. Its very distracting to me and Ill emphatically ask you to stop.
FINALLY: Id like to ask you not to go on the net during class. Use devices only to take
notes. The reasons for this is that it helps your own learning of yourself and the learning of
those around you. Students say that in classes where this practice has been followed, they
like the atmosphere way better.
Here is a ROUGH guide to what well do. Ill likely change it as I get other ideas, but Ill
put out sheets before the midterm and final listing the topics you should know. Plus Ill put
out practice problems.
In class Ill identify the parts of the book that Im currently discussing.
Theres a break in the course material during the first half its basic theory and in the
second the theory is applied. Some people find the second half a bit harder, but some dont.
Most tend to like the second a bit better.

1. Tues Jan 10
2. Thurs Jan 12

The approach of game theory; different types of games

Some sequential games, solution by backwards induction

3. Tues Jan 17

Examples of elementary games

First assignment due
Single-person decisions, and the use of probability

4. Thurs Jan 19
5. Tues Jan 24
6. Thurs Jan 26
7. Tues Jan 31
8. Thurs Feb 2
9. Tues Feb 7

The meaning of utility values, the meaning of rationality

Second assignment due
Simultaneous move games -- classic types, dominated strategies
The Nash equilibrium -- examples in pure strategies
Third assignment due
Mixed strategy Nash equilibria

10. Thurs Feb 9

The Nash equilibrium -- further examples

Fourth assignment due
Brinkmanship, promises and threats

11. Tues Feb 14

12. Thurs Feb 16

Signaling in games
MIDTERM
(**note change date)

13. Tues Feb 21

Repeated games and time discounting

Fifth assignment due
Repeated games: cooperation in the Prisoners Dilemma

14. Thurs Feb 23

15. Tues Feb 28
16. Thurs Mar 2
17. Tues Mar 7
18. Thurs Mar 9
19. Tues Mar 14
20. Thurs Mar 16

Committees and delegation

Sixth assignment due
Voting comparison of methods
The Shapley value and the measurement of voting power
Seventh assignment due
Some political games
Some more political games
Eighth assignment due
Slack and review.
Wed Mar 22 Final Exam, comprehensive, 8 am to 11 am, place TBA