Game Changer - the game theory podcast TWS Partners

In this episode, we engage with Yan Chen to unravel the underlying mechanisms of group identity and group discrimination. Yan discusses her research on ingroup favoritism. We learn how ingroup favoritism can occur even in assigned, artificial groups, and that people with a strong group identity even have a willingness to pay to shield themselves from outgroup information. Yan also provides insights into societal issues such as political polarisation and group-based conflicts.
 
Yan Chen is the Daniel Kahneman Collegiate Professor in the School of Information at the University of Michigan and a Research Professor at the U-M Institute for Social Research. Her academic work combines theoretical and experimental research to examine market and mechanism design, as well as public economics, providing insights into the mechanics of human interaction in social settings.

In this episode, we explore the fascinating intersection of developmental psychology and economic theory through the lens of children's strategic decision-making abilities: Our discussion focuses on how the evolving capacities of children's brains influence their ability to engage in complex strategic thoughts. Our guest Isabelle Brocas shares the fascinating findings from long-term experimental studies she conducted with children from kindergarten to young adulthood.
 
Isabelle Brocas is a Professor of Economics at the University of Southern California, where she co-directs both the Los Angeles Behavioral Economics Laboratory (LABEL) and the Theoretical Research in Neuroeconomic Decision-making (TREND) Institute. Her research primarily examines the decision-making processes in humans, with a focus on how young people make choices, the influences behind these decisions, and the cognitive limitations that may affect their rationality. For more on Isabelle's work, you can visit her personal homepage.

In this episode, we delve into the complex world of fostering civic responsibility. Our guest Tore Ellingsen explains how the interplay of regulation, personal sacrifice, and culture can build socially responsible societies or organisations. The conversation is rooted in the perspectives offered in Tore’s recent book, "Institutional and Organizational Economics: A Behavioral Game Theory Introduction," where he uses insights from behavioural game theory, psychology, and sociology to understand the dynamics of human interactions in groups.
 
Tore Ellingsen is Professor of Economics at the Stockholm School of Economics, holding the Ragnar Söderberg Chair in Economics. His research interests span institutional, organisational, and behavioural economics, focusing on understanding the factors that contribute to the success or failure of human groups. Through his work, Tore seeks to answer pivotal questions regarding human cooperation and organisational effectiveness, providing valuable insights for both academia and real-world applications. For more information on Tore’s current research, you can check out his homepage.

In this episode, our guest Maarten Janssen helps us to explore the field of consumer (online) search. We discuss why economists are particularly interested in this topic and explore the reliability and dynamics of sponsored search results, uncovering the nuances and implications of these prevalent online phenomena. The insights from Maarten’s research (which he conducted together with Thomas Jungbauer, Marcel Preuss and Cole Williams on one paper and with Eeva Mauring on another paper) shed light on the complex interplay between consumer behavior, search algorithms, and market dynamics.
 
Maarten Janssen is Professor of Microeconomics at the University of Vienna. In addition to his role at the University, he is a fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research, a member of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities, a research associate at the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW), and an academic affiliate at CEG Europe. Apart from consumer search, his research focusses on auctions and markets with asymmetric information. For more information about Maarten's work and to read his papers, visit his homepage here and check out his paper on sponsored search positions.

In this episode, we explore with Dmitry Taubinsky economic approaches on regulating sin goods such as alcohol or sugary beverages. We discuss the classical approach of taxation and Dmitry compares the approach to nudging approaches. Our discussion leads us into many further economic details: From externalities and internalities, over the question who bears the tax burden to the price elasticity of demand. Dmitry explains to us, why these effects are relevant, how they relate to each other and how they also affect the optimal taxation.
 
Dmitry Taubinsky is an associate professor of economics at UC Berkeley and a research associate at the NBER. His research interests include Behavioral Economics and Public Economics with a special focus on the intersection of both fields using a combination of theory, experiments, and surveys as methods for the analysis of his research questions. His papers referenced in the podcast on sin taxes and nudging can be found here and here.

In this episode, we explore the often misunderstood relationship between game theory and human behaviour. Our guest Moshe Hoffman challenges the conventional belief that game theory only applies to rational actors. As Moshe explains in his book “Hidden games” (co-authored with Erez Yoeli), even seemingly irrational behaviours and preferences can be explained through game theory. We dive into the concept of 'hidden games' and their influence on our daily actions and decisions, revealing the subtle complexities of human social behaviour.
 
Moshe Hoffman is a lecturer at Harvard's Department of Economics and at Boston College as well as an independent scholar. His interdisciplinary research bridges game theory, models of learning and evolution, and experimental methods to unravel the underpinnings of social behaviour, preferences, and ideologies. For more information on Moshe Hoffman and his work, you can visit his homepage.