Algorithmic Game Theory

1 Course Unit

How should an auction for scarce goods be structured if the sellers wish to maximize their revenue? How badly will traffic be snarled if drivers each selfishly try to minimize their commute time, compared to if a benevolent dictator directed traffic? How can couples be paired so that no two couples wish to swap partners in hindsight? How can you be as successful as the best horse-racing expert at betting on horse races, without knowing anything about horse racing? In this course, we will take an algorithmic perspective on problems in game theory, to solve problems such as the ones listed above. Game theory has applications in a wide variety of settings in which multiple participants with different incentives are placed in the same environment, must interact, and each "player"'s actions affect the others. Fall or Spring 1 Course Unit