In this paper an algorithm is presented to compute all Nash equilibria for games in normal form on the only premises that the number of Nash equilibria is finite. The algorithm relies on decomposing the game by means of support-sets. For each support-set, the set of totally mixed equilibria of...

This chapter examines the conceptual foundations of the concept of strategic equilibrium and its various variants and refinements. The emphasis is very much on the underlying ideas rather than on any technical details.After an examination of some pre-equilibrium ideas, in particular the concept...

This chapter of the Handbook of Game Theory (Vol. 3) provides an overview of the theory of Nash equilibrium and its refinements. The starting-point is the rationalistic approach to games and the question whether there exists a convincing, self-enforcing theory of rational behavior in...

In one of the most influential existence theorems in mathematics, John F. Nash proved in 1950 that any normal form game has an equilibrium. More than five decades later, it was shown that the computational task of finding such an equilibrium is intractable, that is, unlikely to be carried out...

In the analysis of normal form games that model strategic interactions between individuals, the Nash equilibrium is a significant contribution. However, this concept has some limits: often, it proposes a collective result undesirable by all and in some cases, this equilibrium is not realizable....

This paper studies theoretically and experimentally how the possibility of a negative payoff to one player in 2-by-2 hawk-dove games affects the strategic behavior of both players. Exposing column players to a possibility of negative payoff allows us to examine if row players can anticipate the...

The present research conducts a formal analysis of the interactive decisions concerning the enterprise of COVID-19 vaccination on the part of governments and citizens. It specifically constructs a noncooperative static game with complete information between the citizen and the government...

Payoff security combined with reciprocal upper semicontinuity is sufficient for better-reply security, and consequently for the existence of a pure strategy Nash equilibrium in compact, quasiconcave games by Reny's (1999) theorem. Analogously, diagonal payoff security combined with upper...

Payoff security combined with reciprocal upper semicontinuity is sufficient for better-reply security, and consequently for the existence of a pure strategy Nash equilibrium in compact, quasiconcave games by Reny's (1999) theorem. Analogously, diagonal payoff security combined with upper...

Whether or not to vaccinate one’s child is a decision that a parent may approach in several ways. The vaccination game, in which parents must choose whether to vaccinate a child against a disease, is one with positive externalities (herd immunity). In some societies, not vaccinating is an...