Assessing game-theoretic explanations in the social sciences

Harold Kincaid

pp. 457-470

in: Peter Grdenfors, Peter Gärdenfors, Jan Woleński, Katarzyna Kijania-Placek (eds), In the scope of logic, methodology and philosophy of science II, Berlin, Springer, 2002

Abstract

Game theoretic models structure much of recent research in the social sciences. Their predominance is greatest in economics, but game theory tools have made steady inroads into political science, sociology, and other social sciences. That influence is not surprising. Game-theoretic models take the already popular rational choice accounts of agents acting in a fixed environments and then extend them to agents act in interactive environments.