Can Game Theory Predict The Next President?

How the 'science of strategy' influences national and international politics.

By Colin McEnroe
Published: Oct 01, 2012
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Game theorists enter variables into computer models to predict outcomes for situations in which one party is trying to persuade or influence another.
Flickr Creative Commons, Jorge Franganillo
Can Game Theory Predict The Next President?
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Can Game Theory Predict The Next President?

For years I have been ignorantly fascinated by Game Theory. By that I mean I know there's this whole interesting study of strategy and decision making that would inform my understanding of a lot of things -- politics, business, psychology -- if I only knew more about it.  

A lot of us practice game theory without ever knowing we're doing it. I think -- although I may be about to be corrected -- that when you wait for a moment at the supermarket, sizing up the various cashier lines before you decide which one to get into, you may be engaging in game theory. Or I may be, anyway. I really weigh certain factors and apply certain rules. Individual transactions -- e.g. the time it takes to pay -- take a lot longer than multiple items. Three people with five items each will take a lot longer than one person with 30 items. 
 
One of the nation's leading game theory experts will break down biger stuff, like the election, on today's show.
 
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