MTH217: Mathematical Modelling in Political Science

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Cross Listed:
Offered:
Fall (may alternate with 218)
Prerequisites:
This course is a prerequisite or co-requisite for:
Description:
Lectures, Discussion, Two Examinations
Topics covered:
  • Conflict with ordinal Game Theory, including elementary applications (Nash equilibria, Prisoner's Dilemmma, Chicken and to "real-life" political situations) and Brams' Theory of Moves,
  • measures of voting power (including the Banzhaf and Shaplety-Shubik indices),
  • apportionment,
  • social choice (including Arrow's Theorem and Sen's Theorem).

Depending on time available, other topics may be treated, such as the Chair's Paradox, ordinal measures of power, Vickrey auctions.

The text is Mathematics and Politics by Alan Taylor, which covers all the material described above, except material on apportionment.

Related courses: