In 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 de Mesquita is the Julius Silver professor at New York University and emeritus senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. He is a political scientist, specializing in policy forecasting, political economy, and international security policy. He is also the author of many books, like “The predictioneer’s game” and “The dictator’s handbook”, among others.
You can read more on the Selectorate Theory here, here and here, and develop your own predictions using the online version of the Predictioneer’s Game software.
Game Changer - the game theory podcast