Choice Theory

Catalog description

This seminar deals with the foundations and applications of the theory of rational choice, including Bayesian decision theory (subjective expected utility) as well as nonexpected utility theory, noncooperative game theory, and arbitrage theory. It will survey the classic literature in the field and discuss the interconnections among its branches; dissect a variety of paradoxes, puzzles, and pathologies; and discuss recent advances and controversies. The goal of this seminar is to equip students with an understanding of both the power and the limits of rational choice theory, so that they can construct as well as critically analyze rational choice applications in a wide variety of social science contexts. It will also suggest some new directions for choice-theoretic research that involve a synthesis of ideas from competing paradigms.