Ebook: Mathematics and Politics: Strategy, Voting, Power and Proof
Author: Alan D. Taylor (auth.)
- Tags: Statistical Theory and Methods, Economic Theory, Statistics for Social Science Behavorial Science Education Public Policy and Law
- Series: Textbooks in Mathematical Sciences
- Year: 1995
- Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York
- Edition: 1
- Language: English
- pdf
interest in a particular application, however, often depends on his or hergeneralinterestintheareainwhichtheapplicationistakingplace. My experience at Union College has been that there is a real advan tage in having students enter the course knowing thatvirtually all the applications will focus on a single discipline-in this case, political science. The level ofpresentation assumes no college-level mathematicalor social science prerequisites. The philosophy underlying the approach we have taken in this book is based on the sense that we (mathemati cians)havetendedtomaketwoerrorsinteachingnonsciencestudents: wehaveoverestimatedtheircomfortwithcomputationalmaterial,and we have underestimated their ability to handle conceptual material. Thus, while there is very little algebra (and certainly no calculus) in our presentation, we have included numerous logical arguments that students in the humanitiesand the socialscienceswill find accessible, but not trivial. The book contains five main topics: a m.odel of escalation, game theoretic models of international conflict, yes-no voting systems, political power, and social choice. The first partofthe text is made up of a single chapter devoted to each topic. The second part of the text revisits each topic, again with a single chapter devoted to each. The organizationofthe bookisbasedonpedagogicalconsiderations, with the material becoming somewhat more sophisticated as one moves through the ten chapters. On the other hand, within any given chap terthere is little reliance on material from earlierchapters, except for those devoted to the same topic.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xiv
Escalation....Pages 1-20
Conflict....Pages 21-44
Yes-No Voting....Pages 45-62
Political Power....Pages 63-95
Social Choice....Pages 96-113
More Escalation....Pages 134-154
More Conflict....Pages 155-187
More Yes-No Voting....Pages 188-204
More Political Power....Pages 205-240
More Social Choice....Pages 241-272
Back Matter....Pages 273-284
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xiv
Escalation....Pages 1-20
Conflict....Pages 21-44
Yes-No Voting....Pages 45-62
Political Power....Pages 63-95
Social Choice....Pages 96-113
More Escalation....Pages 134-154
More Conflict....Pages 155-187
More Yes-No Voting....Pages 188-204
More Political Power....Pages 205-240
More Social Choice....Pages 241-272
Back Matter....Pages 273-284
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