Game Theory

This textbook presents the basics of game theory both on an undergraduate level and on a more advanced mathematical level. It is the second, revised version of the successful 2008 edition. The book covers most topics of interest in game theory, including cooperative game theory. Part I presents introductions to all these topics on a basic yet formally precise level. It includes chapters on repeated games, social choice theory, and selected topics such as bargaining theory, exchange economies, and matching. Part II goes deeper into noncooperative theory and treats the theory of zerosum games, refinements of Nash equilibrium in strategic as well as extensive form games, and evolutionary games. Part III covers basic concepts in the theory of transferable utility games, such as core and balancedness, Shapley value and variations, and nucleolus. Some mathematical tools on duality and convexity are collected in Part IV. Every chapter in the book contains a problem section. Hints, answersand solutions are included.

• Applications of game theory
• Bargaining
• Cooperative games
• Duality
• Equilibrium
• Game theory
• Nash equilibrium
• Noncooperative games
• Social choice
• Utility

“It can be used at an advanced undergraduate course or a graduate course. … I found the book very well written and appropriate for a game theory course focused on business and economics students and applications. Some of the problems are very challenging but most of them are at the appropriate level and the reader will have some fun and learn from them. This is a book that I recommend if you are interested in game theory … .” (Philosophy, Religion and Science Book Reviews, bookinspections.wordpress.com, June, 2016)

“This book is therefore a very successful work on the task of providing the largest number of readers, independently of the initial levels of knowledge, an introduction to game theory simultaneously accessible and rigorous, with a wide exemplification of applications, allowing them to achieve efficiently an advanced level of knowledge in the field. Indispensable for teachers and both undergraduate and graduate students in game theory. Also for business and economicsprofessionals, and everybody curious on these matters.” (Manuel Alberto M. Ferreira, Acta Scientiae et Intellectus, Vol. 2 (4), 2016)

• Department of Quantitative Economics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

  Hans Peters

Hans Peters studied mathematics at the Radboud University (Nijmegen, The Netherlands), where he graduated in 1982. Since 1984 he has been working at Maastricht University, at the Department of Quantitative Economics and the Department of Mathematics. He received his Ph.D. from Radboud University in 1986.

He is Professor of Quantitative Economics, in particular Mathematical Economics, at the Department of Quantitative Economics, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University. He is also Honorar Professor at the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule, Aachen, Germany.

He is a Fellow of the Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory SAET.

His main research interests are game theory and social choice theory, and he is currently an editor of Social Choice and Welfare, Games and Economic Behavior, and Mathematical Social Sciences, and main editor of the Theory and Decision Library Series C: Game Theory, Social Choice, Decision Theory, and Optimization,published by Springer (http://www.springer.com/series/6618).

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