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  4. Summer 1997
  5. A Nobel Prize for Game Theorists: The Contributions of Harsanyi, Nash and Selten

Journal of Economic Perspectives

ISSN 0895-3309 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7965 (Online)

A Nobel Prize for Game Theorists: The Contributions of Harsanyi, Nash and Selten

  • Faruk Gul
Journal of Economic Perspectives
vol. 11, no. 3, Summer 1997
(pp. 159–174)
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Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to celebrate the contributions of John C. Harsanyi, John F. Nash, and Reinhard Selten to economics. The emphasis is on tracing the influence of their work on economic analysis rather than giving a detailed account of each of their contributions. The three researchers are identified with the three most important ideas in game theory: equilibrium, asymmetric information, and credibility. These three ideas have dominated not only theoretical research but also numerous other fields within economics since the 1950s.

Citation

Gul, Faruk. 1997. "A Nobel Prize for Game Theorists: The Contributions of Harsanyi, Nash and Selten." Journal of Economic Perspectives 11 (3): 159–174. DOI: 10.1257/jep.11.3.159

JEL Classification

  • B31 History of Thought: Individuals
  • C70 Game Theory and Bargaining Theory: General