Game theory > Law

Charlie Brown and game theory
I grew up watching Charlie Brown and the many Peanuts holiday cartoon specials. At holiday time I am always reminded of the Great Pumpkin, Snoopy's antics, and the cheesy phone conversations. But most of all I am reminded of Charlie Brown and game theory. Most of you will recall the running ...

4 tips for winning in a game of chicken
The game of chicken is often told through a story about reckless teenagers. In the classic game, two teenagers are driving towards each other on a crash course. The point of the game is to overcome fear and stay on course. The driver that gets scared and swerves away is ...

Game theory in the news–the financial crisis, Macs and viruses, the bus-wait formula, and more…
[Update: Welcome readers from Simoleon Sense] I'm on vacation through the end of the year so I'm mixing things up. I've been seeing a lot of good articles on the web about game theory and want to share them with you. Enjoy and happy holidays. (If you're looking for more to read, ...

How to negotiate at your job using game theory
My underpaid friend used every trick during salary negotiations to no avail. This year she got the raise she deserved. The trick that finally worked was getting sick. My friend joked the company would only realize her value after she left. By chance, it happened much sooner. My friend became very ...

Game theory and racism: the Schelling Segregation Model
[update: welcome readers from The Club for Growth] Fidel Castro says America is "profoundly racist." What do you think? His statement made me think about segregation. I thought about racially divided neighborhoods in big cities. I thought about the "racial cliques" I observed among peers at Stanford. I thought about how few ...

Game Theory and Voting
Voting is a prized civic duty. But it is also a high stakes competition with clear winners and losers. In this light, voting can be viewed as a contest of strategy. If you want to make your vote count, it is useful to learn the rules of the game. History suggests ...

How to Use Lies for Good, or Why Honesty Isn’t the Best Policy
image source: karindalziel via flickr Whoever said “honesty is the best policy” had to be lying. Lies have saved many messengers from being shot, and many couples from explosive arguments about body image (“Honey, do I look fat in this? Tell me the truth..."). There’s certainly much to be said about honesty ...

Voting Power in Israeli Judge Selection and the Shapley-Shubik Index
source: ninjapoodles via flickr How many votes should be necessary for a decision? Is a simple majority sufficient, or should a higher standard be applied, such as a consensus? These are questions and circumstances we all face, whether as a voter or an organizer. Understanding voting theory can help you ...

Three Ways to Protect Your Email Privacy Using Low-Tech Encryption (Caesar Cipher, Vigenère Cipher, Three-Pass Protocol)
Emails worry me I wrote half as many emails the day after meeting the company legal staff. I learned that emails are often discoverable in court, and it was rumored company email was being scanned. This whole episode annoyed me, because as a consultant, I enjoyed the convenience of email. But I ...

Markets Aren’t Perfectly Competitive: The Game Theory of Why a Smoking Ban Might Make Sense
This article will arm you with a powerful critique. In no time you’ll be second-guessing how fiscal conservatives talk about economics. Here’s one of the most common criticisms of a new law: “My opponent supports law X. While I agree with the spirit of law X, I do not think the government ...

Use Randomization to Cut Costs in Security and Enforcement–It Worked for American Airlines
Game Theory 101: keep your opponents off guard. If you can do that, you don’t need to work very hard. Cops know this. They can’t monitor all motorists, so they randomly assign squad cars to high traffic areas. They put empty squad cars on the side of highways. The threat of ...

Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem and The Voting Paradox
Growing up, I couldn’t stand spicy food. My brother loved it. This was a constant source of conflict. If dinner was too spicy, I complained. If it was not spicy enough, my brother complained. This is why separate portions of spicy and non-spicy were typically made. But that was impractical for ...

3 tips for threatening many people at once
The RIAA won a legal battle on Friday when a Minnesota woman was found guilty of copyright infringement for file sharing and fined for damages of $220,000. Although the award was significantly smaller than the requested $3.9 million plus legal fees, the RIAA considers the case a victory. Is it ...