Game Changer - the game theory podcast

Apr 22 2024 125
Game Changer - the game theory podcast artwork

In Game Changer, the podcast by TWS Partners, we want to share our enthusiasm and passion for game theory and its applications. We invite guests from business and academia to discuss how they use the power of game theory in their profession to make a difference – and to learn some fun anecdotes, useful facts and valuable insights along the way. Join us on this journey, and find out that game theory is much more than a topic for ivory tower discussions.

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Playing for a Better Society: Game Theory and Civic Responsibility | with Tore Ellingsen

Apr 22 2024 25 mins  
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

To click or not to click: can we trust sponsored search results? | with Maarten Janssen

Apr 08 2024 28 mins  
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

Discouraging consumption of sin goods – taxes versus nudges | with Dmitry Taubinsky

Mar 25 2024 36 mins  
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 pri

Hidden Games: Exploring the rationality of irrational choices | with Moshe Hoffman

Mar 11 2024 27 mins  
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 theor

Avoid sending mixed signals! – signalling in negotiations and beyond | with Uri Gneezy

Feb 26 2024 22 mins  
In this episode we are talking to Uri Gneezy about his latest book publication “Mixed Signals – How Incentives Really Work”. He explains to us what mixed signals are and makes us aware that we encounter them far more frequently than one would expect. We deep dive into the topic in the context of negotiations where signaling plays a major role. Uri walks us through the differe

The Economist's Brain: Tracing Choices with Neuroeconomic Insights | with Juan D. Carrillo

Feb 12 2024 27 mins  
In this episode, we explore together with our guest Juan D. Carrillo the confluence of economics and neuroscience in understanding human decision-making processes. We delve into how the combination of these two disciplines can illuminate the biological basis of decision making, with a particular focus on complex scenarios like multi-task decision making, self-control, and impulsivi

Feeding America – allocating food to food banks with innovative market mechanisms | with Canice Prendergast

Jan 29 2024 38 mins  
In this episode, we discuss with Canice Prendergast how market design mechanisms can be applied in social services. Canice shares how he collaborated with Feeding America on optimally allocating about 300 million pounds of food per year to hundreds of food banks across the United States. They were developing a market-based allocation mechanism introducing an internal currency to bi

Does opaque AI lead to a catastrophe? – a Game Theorist’s view | with Jeffrey Ely

Jan 15 2024 35 mins  
In this episode, we discuss with Jeff Ely a topic that has gotten significant public attention last year with the introduction of Chat GPT and similar programmes: The role of AI. Jeff shares his research with Balazs Szentes on a natural selection model on AI. They set up a model to study the AI control problem in the context of decentralized economic production. The study illustrat

Split or Steal? Experiments on lies and self-deception | with Marta Serra-Garcia

Jan 01 2024 33 mins  
In this episode, we explore with Marta Serra-Garcia the paradoxes of human behavior in the realms of self-deception and lie detection. Marta's research, rooted in behavioral and experimental economics, questions why lying persists in a society that values morality. We delve into her experiments that examine how people reconcile their self-image with material interests, the timing o

Fortune's Fairness: The Super-Rich's View on Inequality | with Alain Cohn

Dec 18 2023 40 mins  
In this episode, our guest Alain Cohn helps us to understand the complex relationship between wealth and perceptions of fairness in society. We explore his innovative research methodology, which move beyond traditional surveys to more accurately reflect the nuances of economic behaviors. The conversation also highlights the differences in attitudes towards inequality among the wea