Game Changer - the game theory podcast
98 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingIn Game Changer, the podcast by TWS Partners, we want to share our enthusiasm and passion for game theory and its applications.
We invite guests from business and academia to discuss how they use the power of game theory in their profession to make a difference – and to learn some fun anecdotes, useful facts and valuable insights along the way. Join us on this journey, and find out that game theory is much more than a topic for ivory tower discussions.
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Episodes
Playing for a Better Society: Game Theory and Civic Responsibility | with Tore Ellingsen
April 22, 2024 17:00 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBIn this episode, we delve into the complex world of fostering civic responsibility. Our guest Tore Ellingsen explains how the interplay of regulation, personal sacrifice, and culture can build socially responsible societies or organisations. The conversation is rooted in the perspectives offered in Tore’s recent book, "Institutional and Organizational Economics: A Behavioral Game Theory Introduction," where he uses insights from behavioural game theory, psychology, and sociology to understan...
To click or not to click: can we trust sponsored search results? | with Maarten Janssen
April 08, 2024 17:00 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBIn this episode, our guest Maarten Janssen helps us to explore the field of consumer (online) search. We discuss why economists are particularly interested in this topic and explore the reliability and dynamics of sponsored search results, uncovering the nuances and implications of these prevalent online phenomena. The insights from Maarten’s research (which he conducted together with Thomas Jungbauer, Marcel Preuss and Cole Williams on one paper and with Eeva Mauring on another paper) shed ...
Discouraging consumption of sin goods – taxes versus nudges | with Dmitry Taubinsky
March 25, 2024 18:00 - 36 minutes - 33.4 MBIn this episode, we explore with Dmitry Taubinsky economic approaches on regulating sin goods such as alcohol or sugary beverages. We discuss the classical approach of taxation and Dmitry compares the approach to nudging approaches. Our discussion leads us into many further economic details: From externalities and internalities, over the question who bears the tax burden to the price elasticity of demand. Dmitry explains to us, why these effects are relevant, how they relate to each other an...
Hidden Games: Exploring the rationality of irrational choices | with Moshe Hoffman
March 11, 2024 18:00 - 27 minutes - 25.1 MBIn this episode, we explore the often misunderstood relationship between game theory and human behaviour. Our guest Moshe Hoffman challenges the conventional belief that game theory only applies to rational actors. As Moshe explains in his book “Hidden games” (co-authored with Erez Yoeli), even seemingly irrational behaviours and preferences can be explained through game theory. We dive into the concept of 'hidden games' and their influence on our daily actions and decisions, revealing the ...
Avoid sending mixed signals! – signalling in negotiations and beyond | with Uri Gneezy
February 26, 2024 18:00 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MBIn this episode we are talking to Uri Gneezy about his latest book publication “Mixed Signals – How Incentives Really Work”. He explains to us what mixed signals are and makes us aware that we encounter them far more frequently than one would expect. We deep dive into the topic in the context of negotiations where signaling plays a major role. Uri walks us through the different effects that are at play when the opening offer in a negotiation is communicated to the other party and makes clear...
The Economist's Brain: Tracing Choices with Neuroeconomic Insights | with Juan D. Carrillo
February 12, 2024 18:00 - 27 minutes - 25.1 MBIn this episode, we explore together with our guest Juan D. Carrillo the confluence of economics and neuroscience in understanding human decision-making processes. We delve into how the combination of these two disciplines can illuminate the biological basis of decision making, with a particular focus on complex scenarios like multi-task decision making, self-control, and impulsivity. Juan shares insights from his papers, discussing the innovative approach of neuroeconomic theory and its rea...
Feeding America – allocating food to food banks with innovative market mechanisms | with Canice Prendergast
January 29, 2024 18:00 - 38 minutes - 35 MBIn this episode, we discuss with Canice Prendergast how market design mechanisms can be applied in social services. Canice shares how he collaborated with Feeding America on optimally allocating about 300 million pounds of food per year to hundreds of food banks across the United States. They were developing a market-based allocation mechanism introducing an internal currency to bid for available food on a daily basis. Canice shares the process itself as well as many anecdotes on its develop...
Does opaque AI lead to a catastrophe? – a Game Theorist’s view | with Jeffrey Ely
January 15, 2024 18:00 - 35 minutes - 32.7 MBIn this episode, we discuss with Jeff Ely a topic that has gotten significant public attention last year with the introduction of Chat GPT and similar programmes: The role of AI. Jeff shares his research with Balazs Szentes on a natural selection model on AI. They set up a model to study the AI control problem in the context of decentralized economic production. The study illustrates the importance of AI transparency as already deviating from ‘perfect transparency’ leads to catastrophic cons...
Split or Steal? Experiments on lies and self-deception | with Marta Serra-Garcia
January 01, 2024 18:00 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBIn this episode, we explore with Marta Serra-Garcia the paradoxes of human behavior in the realms of self-deception and lie detection. Marta's research, rooted in behavioral and experimental economics, questions why lying persists in a society that values morality. We delve into her experiments that examine how people reconcile their self-image with material interests, the timing of incentive information in ethical decision-making, and the effectiveness of algorithms in detecting deception. ...
Fortune's Fairness: The Super-Rich's View on Inequality | with Alain Cohn
December 18, 2023 18:00 - 40 minutes - 37.3 MBIn this episode, our guest Alain Cohn helps us to understand the complex relationship between wealth and perceptions of fairness in society. We explore his innovative research methodology, which move beyond traditional surveys to more accurately reflect the nuances of economic behaviors. The conversation also highlights the differences in attitudes towards inequality among the wealthy, particularly contrasting those with inherited wealth and the newly affluent. Through Alain's studies, we g...
Union negotiators are Game Theorists – 2023 UAW strike and its outcomes | with Marc Robinson
December 04, 2023 18:00 - 29 minutes - 27.5 MBIn this episode, our guest Marc Robinson, strategy and risk management expert, shares details on the recent UAW strikes and negotiations. With his rich background in the automotive industry and his experience as an economist at General Motors in the past, Marc observed the recent negotiations from a Game Theorist perspective. He shares the key success factors for the UAW to complete the union negotiations in their favor ranging from historical developments to changes in the UAW’s strategic m...
(Nuclear) Deterrence as a Game Theoretic concept | with Frank Zagare
November 20, 2023 18:00 - 15 minutes - 14 MBIn this episode we are talking to Frank Zagare about deterrence. The term gained popularity in particular during the cold war to describe the role of nuclear weapons in Soviet-American relations and, in light of recent events, has surfaced again. Together with Frank we look at the concept from a Game Theoretic perspective and discuss the shortcomings of the classical way of modeling deterrence. Frank then walks us through his alternative theory, perfect deterrence theory. He explains to us h...
Would you return a lost wallet? – Economist’s perspective on honesty | with Michel Maréchal
November 06, 2023 18:00 - 26 minutes - 24.5 MBIn this episode we are talking to Michel Maréchal about honesty from an economist’s perspective. He shares with us two studies he has conducted on honesty: Firstly, we talk about a mega-study in which Michel and his colleagues have tested in more than 300 cities around the globe with more than 17000 wallets whether people would rather return lost wallets if there were a higher or lower amount of money in them. Secondly, he shares a lab experiment in which he studied whether humans are more h...
In plain sight - why simplicity should be considered in game theoretic concepts | with Shengwu Li
October 23, 2023 17:00 - 28 minutes - 66 MBIn this episode we are talking to Shengwu Li about simplicity in game theoretic concepts. He explains to us, what simple means in this context, how this notion facilitates application of game theory to the "real world" and what an obviously dominant strategy is. We discuss how this understanding of game theory can be particularly helpful when conducting auctions and what practitioners need to know beyond that to harness game theory's predictive powers. Shengwu Li is Associate Professor...
Picking up speed - how companies can make headway in reaching CO2 targets | with Daniel Helmig
October 09, 2023 17:00 - 27 minutes - 25.1 MBFor many companies reaching their self-imposed CO2 targets has become quite a tall order. While procurement has tried to rise to the occasion progress is often slow. In this episode we are talking to Daniel Helmig who explains to us how companies can get unstuck and move forward in reaching their CO2 targets. We discuss what the past can teach us about possible solutions, which three important questions CEOs and other leaders should answer for an honest assessment of their situation and what...
Cracking the Code: Incentivising teams in non-routine tasks | with Florian Englmaier
September 25, 2023 17:00 - 30 minutes - 27.5 MBIn this episode, our guest Florian Englmaier explores the effectiveness of monetary incentives in driving team efficiency and innovation. He shares insights from an experimental study conducted in an escape room setting, uncovering surprising findings about the impact of incentives on non-routine tasks and the emergence of leadership dynamics within teams. Florian Englmaier is professor of organisational economics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany. His main researc...
Learning from a negotiation expert - the role of ‘tactical empathy’ | with Chris Voss
September 11, 2023 17:00 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MBIn this episode we are talking to Chris Voss. He is a former FBI hostage negotiator and has written a bestselling book “Never split the difference”. We discuss with him, what we can learn from hostage negotiations about negotiations in other settings, especially in the business context. Chris shares his approaches to negotiations and compares the importance of “tactical empathy” with Game Theoretic approaches. He also gives concrete and tangible proposals on how the listeners can improve the...
Let’s go to the movies! – Game Theory in films | with Santiago Sanchez-Pages
July 31, 2023 17:00 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBIn today’s episode, we discuss Game Theory in movies. Santiago shares in which movies the prisoner’s dilemma, the chicken game and other concepts are portrayed. The discussion brings us to many known movies, amongst them ‘The dark knight’, ‘A Beautiful Mind’, and many others. Below we have listed a list of links of the movie clips we discuss in this episode. Santiago also shares in the discussion which of them were successful in portraying Game Theory and which ones could have done a better ...
Hidden Gems – Gathering insights from unconventional data sources | with Stefano DellaVigna
July 17, 2023 17:00 - 29 minutes - 26.5 MBIn this episode, our guest Stefano DellaVigna shares his approach to answering research questions through various data sources, including lab experiments, natural experiments, and field experiments. We explore the significance of seeking out natural experiments and their value in enhancing our understanding of human behavior. Using examples such as the impact of violent movies on violence and changes in Fox News subscriptions, Stefano reveals surprising findings and their implications. We al...
Behind the Stars: Uncovering the Biases in Online Reviews | with Tommaso Bondi
July 03, 2023 17:00 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MBIn this episode Tommaso Bondi shares his research on cultural markets with us. We take a deep dive into the insights he gained when studying online reviews and he explains to us why, counterintuitively, earning public recognition does not necessarily lead to higher ratings. A finding which, as we learn from Tommaso, is closely related to how well customer preferences and product match. Tommaso’s result does not only have theoretical merit but also seems to be observable in practice. We then ...
A Tale of Two Players: Exploring the Rubinstein Bargaining Model | with Ariel Rubinstein
June 19, 2023 17:00 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBIn today’s episode, we explore one of the classics in Bargaining theory: The Rubinstein Bargaining Model. And we have found the perfect guest - who better to explain this bargaining model than its founder Ariel Rubinstein himself! Ariel not only shares how the idea of the model came to be, but he also comments on some results and critically discusses whether the Rubinstein Bargaining Model (and Game Theory in general) has predictive or normative power for real-life situations. Ariel Ru...
Can Cash Cloud the Mind? Exploring the Influence of Incentives on Personal Choices | with Sandro Ambühl
June 05, 2023 17:00 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBMonetary incentives are a part of our daily lives, from work bonuses to fines for minor traffic violations. But can they lead us to make bad decisions? In this episode, our guest Sandro Ambühl presents an empirical study in which he investigates this very question. He explains what constitutes a bad decision in the economic/rational sense and how people's decisions are related to regret, information, and the size of the monetary incentive. Sandro Ambühl is Assistant Professor of Behaviour...
Clicking Against the Clock: How time pressure and regret influence our behaviour in online shopping | with Timm Opitz
May 22, 2023 17:00 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MBIn this episode, we explore how time pressure and regret can influence our search behavior as customers in the world of online shopping. Our guest, Timm Opitz, sheds light on his research paper titled "Time Pressure and Regret in Sequential Search", which investigates the impact of urgency and regret on optimal search behavior by conducting experiments in a controlled environment. He also shares some strategies we can use to overcome the influence of urgency and regret in our shopping behavi...
AI and Regulation: Finding the Sweet Spot for Consumer Welfare | with Keith Chan
May 08, 2023 23:00 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MBJoin us in this episode as we explore the rise of AI technology and the complex decisions that policy makers are facing regarding the protection of privacy and fostering of innovation. Our guest Keith sheds light on how moderately loosening regulations in a competitive market environment may maximize consumer welfare. However, we also discuss how some countries, such as Russia, strongly deviate from this strategy, indicating that consumer welfare may not be their top priority. Keith Chan ...
From Connections to Careers: On the Impact of Personal Referrals in the Labour Market | with Felix Mylius
April 24, 2023 23:00 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MBIn this episode Felix Mylius shares his insights on personal referrals in labour markets. He explains to us why personal referrals are still relevant for job search today despite the predominant use of online platforms to find jobs and how all this is linked to Game Theory and matching markets. Together we dive into firms' incentives, implications for search platforms and discuss whether this is transferable to other matching markets, like the dating market. Felix Mylius is currently f...
The doctor is in! Misguided incentives and regulation in healthcare markets | with Simon Reif
April 10, 2023 23:00 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBIn this episode we are diving into the topic of healthcare markets together with Simon Reif. He explains to us what makes the healthcare market so special, why its characteristics call for regulation and how systems differ substantially across countries. Focusing on Europe we discuss how, counterintuitively, setting a "global budget" for hospitals leads to poorer service and how generating the right incentives could change the healthcare market for the better in future. Simon Reif is a...
Truth-telling by design: how Market Design can alleviate inequality | with Piotr Dworczak
March 27, 2023 23:00 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBIn this episode Piotr Dworczak explains to us how Market Design can contribute to alleviating inequality by increasing accuracy of policies targeting inequality. He does so using an example from the housing market which shows that more often than not it is very difficult to ensure that subsidies actually reach people in need since they cannot be easily identified. This is where Market Design comes into play: by generating targeted incentives which have a selection effect, it makes e.g. affor...
Why sometimes we are better off not knowing – on information design and Bayesian persuasion | with Emir Kamenica
March 13, 2023 23:00 - 30 minutes - 28 MBIn this episode Emir Kamenica introduces us to the research field of information design. He recaps the history of modelling information in economics from the 70s to today, and explains term “Bayesian Persuasion” (and if and how it differs from the term “information design”). He then illustrates how having full information e.g. as a navigation app user can lead to inefficient outcomes and what information design means in the context of mystery novels, gambling and entertainment in general. ...
Putting your money where your mouth is – on commitment in auctions | with Vitali Gretschko
February 28, 2023 00:00 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBIn this episode, Vitali Gretschko sheds some light on a fundamental game theoretic concept: Commitment. He explains why commitment is a crucial prerequisite of auctions and introduces different ways of generating commitment. We also explore how commitment is linked to the concept of information and discuss auction concepts which make it less likely for the auctioneer to break their commitment afterwards. Vitali Gretschko is Professor of Market Design at the University of Mannheim and hea...
Auctions, bidding strategies and uncertainty | with Bernhard Kasberger
February 14, 2023 00:00 - 24 minutes - 24 MBFrom selling on eBay over Google advertisements to buying a house, auctions are all around us! But what makes it so difficult to find the right bidding strategy? In this episode Bernhard Kasberger sheds some light on what a so called first price auction is, why it is challenging to "bid correctly" and what the recipe for the optimal bid strategy under maximum uncertainty is in theory. He explains how his findings apply to the real life and which additional related topics he is currently work...
A dangerous game: On Geoengineering and moral hazard | with Gernot Wagner
January 31, 2023 00:00 - 23 minutes - 21.8 MBIn this episode Gernot Wagner explains the concept of Geoengineering and its potential role in preventing climate change. He analyses the implications of Geoengineering from a game theoretic perspective and shows the connection to the game theoretic concept of “moral hazard”. He also gives some advice on how we can all profit from the (potential) advantages of Geoengineering (and other new technologies), without falling into the “moral hazard trap”. Gernot Wagner is climate economist at ...
To share or not to share. Credit, incentives and competition among researchers | with Remco Heesen
January 17, 2023 00:00 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MBTo share or not to share. Credit, incentives and competition among researchers | with Remco Heesen In this episode Remco Heesen shares his insights on the trade-offs researchers face when deciding whether to share intermediate results with fellow researchers. He explains how incentive structures in research lead to a suboptimal outcome and gives historic examples of prominent researchers who have been subject to these incentives. Remco then discusses possible measures that can be taken to ...
How to bid in an auction – with Paul Papayoanou
January 03, 2023 00:00 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MBIn this episode, we discuss with Paul Papayoanou his real life experience as a consultant applying Game Theory. Paul has worked on over 150 engagements using his expertise. In our discussion we especially focus on Paul’s experience in consulting bidders participating in auctions. Paul shares how he prepares his clients when they enter an auction and what makes a good bidding strategy. Paul Papayoanou is a consultant for all things Game Theory and author of the book "Game Theory for Bus...
Celebrating 50 episodes of Game Changer | with Miriam, Simon and Florian
December 20, 2022 00:00 - 15 minutes - 14.3 MBTo celebrate 50 episodes of Game Changer, we take a look behind the scenes. The hosts Simon and Florian take the role of interviewees and answer Miriam’s questions on their motivation and goals for the game changer podcast and how the episodes are prepared and recorded. We would like to thank all our listeners for sticking with us for 50 episodes and we are looking forward to the next 50 episodes and interesting insights into applications of Game Theory in business and everyday life!
‘Would you rather’ - what drives our decisions– with Shachar Kariv
December 06, 2022 00:00 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBIn this episode, we focus on ‘decision theory’ and discuss with Shachar its connection to Game Theory. Shachar shares the three key trade-offs relevant for taking a decision. We also discuss the ‘dictator game’ and how Shachar applied a modified version of the dictator game to study preferences of decision makers in real life. Shachar Kariv is Benjamin N. Ward Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. His current research interests are focused on economic/deci...
Are football players Game Theorists? – scoring the perfect penalty | with Ben Lyttleton
November 22, 2022 00:00 - 31 minutes - 28.9 MBIn this episode we talk to Ben Lyttleton about a particular topic in football: how to score the perfect penalty. Ben is an expert on penalties and has gathered a lot of insights on the ‘perfect penalty’ in his book Twelve Yards: The Art & Psychology of the Perfect Penalty. Ben shares that penalties are much more complex than initial Game Theory models would suggest. For a full understanding of penalties gathering the right data and understanding the psychology of the penalties are both criti...
The 2022 Nobel Prize – why the economy needs banks | with Karolin Kirschenmann
November 08, 2022 00:00 - 35 minutes - 32.1 MBIn this episode, Karolin Kirschenmann explains why this year’s Nobel Prize in economics was given to Ben Bernanke, Douglas Diamond and Philip Dybvig. We discuss their research on the role of banks in the economy and the models developed by the researchers. We deep-dive into the modelling of bank-runs and their relationship to Game Theory. Karolin Kirschenmann is deputy head of ZEW's Research Unit “Pensions and Sustainable Financial Markets”. Her research focuses on the areas of bank...
Why market designers love NFTs | with Scott Kominers
October 24, 2022 23:00 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MBIn this episode, Scott Kominers introduces us to the exciting world of NFTs. We learn about their fascinating properties and their potential for creating new markets or reshaping existing ones. Scott also gives a few practical examples of how NFTs can be used, both in the digital and the real world. Scott also gave us the idea of creating our very own NFT: We used the Proof of Attendance Protocol (POAP) to create a “digital badge or collectible” using blockchain technology. POAPs are typic...
Do we need a price for damaging the climate? – with Achim Wambach
October 11, 2022 07:18 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MBIn this episode, we discuss with Achim how addressing climate change and economics, especially market design, are linked. Achim shares which economic incentives we should utilize to ensure we can meet our climate goal. Our discussion is based on Achim’s very recent new book publication “Klima muss sich lohnen” (https://www.zew.de/klimapolitik). Achim Wambach is the president of the ZEW, the Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research, and professor of economics at the University of Mannh...
Talking about a revolution – how Game Theory can predict the stability of political systems | with Bruce Bueno de Mesquita
September 26, 2022 23:00 - 41 minutes - 37.7 MBIn this episode, Bruce shows us how Game Theory can be successfully applied in the field of political science. In particular, we discuss the explanatory and predictive power of the Selectorate Theory, which analyses political systems regarding their properties as democracy or autocracy. Bruce explains the underlying game theoretic model of this theory, how he obtains the data, and which conclusions he can draw from the results, including predictions on coups or revolutions. Bruce Bueno d...
Dinner’s ready! On Common Knowledge and the value of information | with Christoph Kuzmics
September 12, 2022 23:00 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MBIn this episode Christoph Kuzmics explains the game theoretic concept of Common Knowledge, using fun anecdotes from his personal life. We also learn that Common Knowledge is much more than just passing information to all parties, and that in some situations, it is desirable not to establish full information. Christoph Kuzmics is professor of microeconomics at the university of Graz, Austria. His research focusses on the development of the theory of strategic interaction and its application...
Summer break
August 08, 2022 23:00 - 1 minute - 2.46 MBThis is a short announcement of Game Changer Podcast going on summer break and returning on September 13th. Enjoy your summer and until September – the TWS Game changer team!
Why do we cooperate and help others - Game theory & altruism | with Erez Yoeli
August 01, 2022 23:00 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MBThis episode is all about cooperation and altruism. Erez Yoeli explains how these concepts can be modelled using game theory, and which measures can be taken to increase altruism in different situations. He also shares the success story of the company Keheala, which uses game theoretic insights to foster altruistic behaviour in the healthcare context. Erez Yoeli is a research scientist at MIT's Sloan School of Management where he directs the Applied Cooperation Team. He is also co-author ...
How clever fishermen outsmarted a uniform price auction | with Alex Teytelboym
July 18, 2022 23:00 - 38 minutes - 35.3 MBIn this episode Alexander Teytelboym walks us through the intricacies of uniform-price auctions. While often praised for their theoretical properties, putting them into practice successfully can turn out to be quite the challenge. Alex shares with us what can be learned about auction design from observing uniform-price auctions in the fishing industry and how game theory can explain fishermen’s bids that resemble "crank handles". This research by Alex is based on joint work with Sanna Laksa ...
Think like a Virus! Viewing the Pandemic through the Lens of Game Theory | with Joshua Gans
July 04, 2022 23:00 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MBThink like a Virus! Viewing the Pandemic through the Lens of Game Theory | with Joshua Gans In this episode Joshua Gans shares his insights on the ongoing pandemic from a game theoretic perspective. He explains how he first got into the topic, why being deadly is generally not the best strategy for any virus, and how hidden information can help a virus thrive. Joshua then walks us through ways to counter a virus and how to prepare for the future. Joshua Gans is professor of Strategic...
Cross at red light? – Game Theory in traffic interaction and the impact of autonomously driving vehicles | with Jason Thompson
June 20, 2022 23:00 - 20 minutes - 19 MBIn this episode, Jason Thompson explains how Game Theory can help understand interactions on the roads and in traffic. We discuss agent-based-modelling and its application to analysing the behaviour of road users in traffic intersection. Jason gives examples on ‘different games’ at traffic intersections and compares the game induced by traffic regulations with the one originating from varying powers of the road users (e.g. truck vs cyclist). We also discuss how such interactions will chang...
Digital Players & Future Markets – Game Theory in Machine Learning & Common Ownership topics | with Martin Schmalz
June 06, 2022 23:00 - 25 minutes - 23 MBDigital Players & Future Markets – Game Theory in Machine Learning & Common Ownership topics | with Martin Schmalz In this episode, Martin Schmalz explains what machine learning has to do with economics and game theory and its relationship to common ownership. He gives some practical examples for game theoretic situations in which machine learning is already used, and shows where potential benefits and risk for consumers might lie. In addition, we discuss the topic of common ownershi...
Playing nice – Trust and reputation in Game Theory, eCommerce and vaccinations | with Steve Tadelis
May 23, 2022 23:00 - 34 minutes - 31.2 MBPlaying nice – Trust and reputation in Game Theory, eCommerce and vaccinations | with Steve Tadelis In this episode we talk to Steve Tadelis about reputation and trust. He explains how he first got into the topic, what reputation means in the context of Game Theory and how even leaving no review at all could signal reputation on platforms like ebay. He also shows how powerful reputation and trust can be beyond the business context, e.g. when increasing vaccination rates with the help of Do...
Feeling lucky! – On the game theoretic aspects of lotteries | with Nick Arnosti
May 09, 2022 23:00 - 27 minutes - 37.3 MBIn this episode, we discuss with Nick Arnosti the economic aspects of lotteries. Nick explains in which sense lotteries are a relevant economic mechanism, and gives some examples of where and why they are used. We focus in particular on the use of lotteries in the allocation of affordable housing in New York. Nick Arnosti is assistant professor at the University of Minnesota. His research is focussed on systems for allocating public resources. During the interview, Nick mentions a pa...
“More art than science” – Translating game theoretic predictions into practical recommendations | with Eyal Winter
April 25, 2022 23:00 - 35 minutes - 25.7 MBIn this episode we are talking to Economics Professor Eyal Winter, who works as both an academic researcher and as a consultant who supports his clients in various auction settings. We discuss how consulting differs from theoretical research, and how to best behave in an auction setting. Eyal also shows how emotions can sometimes strongly influence people’s behaviour in auctions. Eyal Winter is the Silverzweig professor of economics at the Hebrew University and the Andrews & Brunner pr...