Link to the Israeli Economy Course I taught in UCSD during my sabbatical in 2022-3
---
Brief syllabus (Link to detailed syllabus): This course introduces game theory and strategic thinking. Through an informal approach and a basic level of math, students will learn key concepts such as backward induction, dominance, Nash equilibrium, mixed strategies, commitment, and credibility. These concepts will be applied to games played in class and real-world examples from various fields including economics, finance, management, and politics. The goal of the course is to equip students with the ability to recognize strategic situations, analyze them, and understand how their actions may influence the decisions of others.
Main textbook: Avinash K. Dixit and Barry J. J. Nalebuff, The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist's Guide to Success in Business and Life, By WW Norton & Company, 2008, Amazon link.
Mandatory home assignments in https://lemida.biu.ac.il/
Recordings:
TBD
Presentations:
Presentation 1 - Introduction: pdf
Presentation 2 - Sequential games with perfect information: pdf
Presentation 3 - Prisoners' dilemmas: pdf
Presentation 4 - Nash equilibrium: pdf
Presentation 5 - Mixed strategies: pdf
Presentation 6 - Credible strategies & exam preparation: pdf
Solution to mandatory home assignments (in lamda):
TBD
Practice exam questions (presentations 1-5, practice questions for presentation6 in HA5): Link to questions, Link to detailed solutions.
Past Exams:
2024 A: scrambled exam (correct answers are random), code zero (correct answers are always "a."), detailed solution
2024 B: scrambled exem, code zero, detailed solution
2025 A: srabmbled exam, code-zero exam, detailed solution
2025 B: scrambled exam, code-zero exam, detailed solution
2025 C: scrambled exam, code-zero exam, detailed solution