Game Changer - the game theory podcast TWS Partners

In this episode, we discuss overconfidence and its underlying psychological mechanisms. Our guest Collin Raymond shares his research (joint work with David Huffman and Julia Shvets) based on a field study he conducted with managers in the context of their Bonus payment. We discuss their findings on how managers make overconfident predictions about their individual future performance. In the study they can link the overconfidence to managers having an overly-positive memory of past performance. We finish the discussion by deep-diving into other facets of overconfidence. 
 
Collin Raymond is Associate Professor of Strategy and Business Economics at the Johnson School of Management of Cornell University. His research interests span Behavioural Economics, Experimental Economics, and Microeconomic Theory. He focuses on how individuals make decisions under uncertainty and the cognitive biases that influence these decisions.
You can find the paper Collin describes in the interview here.

In this episode, we delve into the common pitfalls that negotiators face which lead to value drain in dealmaking. Our guest Paul Papayoanou identifies four types of value-destructive behaviours and shares insights on avoiding these traps. He also outlines the characteristics of an effective dealmaker, emphasising the importance of being a savvy strategist who can balance toughness with fairness. Furthermore, we explore the role of preparation and reputation in successful negotiations, and how game theory can be applied to enhance negotiation strategies.
Paul Papayoanou is a Senior Advisor with Decision Frameworks, a boutique consultancy based in Houston, Texas, serving clients worldwide. He has taught at the University of California San Diego and Harvard University, and is the author of "Game Theory for Business: A Primer in Strategic Gaming." Paul's extensive experience in game theory and dealmaking provides invaluable insights for anyone looking to improve their negotiation skills. You can read his recent article on addressing value drain in dealmaking here (or e-mail Paul for the pdf version: paul@decisionframeworks.com).
Paul has already been a guest on our show. You can check out his episode on how to bid in an auction here or here.

In this episode, we discuss with Eduardo Azevedo his research on adverse selection in insurance markets. Eduardo gives details on recent developments in genomic advances, also in light of the significant price decrease for obtaining the individual genome. We discuss the possible long-term effect on the insurance market (e.g. specific health insurances) if individuals had access to their genome and obtained their individual risk profile. Based on that we discuss the potential for adverse selection and Eduardos initial heuristic findings.
 
Eduardo Azevedo is Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on market design, applied microeconomic theory, and industrial organisation.

In this episode, we discuss with Greg Kubitz his research on loss aversion. Greg shares his research in which he targets to explain loss aversion using Game Theoretic approaches. He combines approaches such as the principal agent model to be able to look at loss aversion through the evolutionary lens considering realistic assumptions on biological constraints given through our neural system.
 
Greg Kubitz is senior lecturer in the School of Economics and Finance at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. His research interests lie mainly within the field of game theory, with particular emphasis on information design and its applications to industrial organisation and behavioural economics.

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.