The Brinkmanship Game: Bargaining Under the Mutual Risk of Escalation*
Name
The Brinkmanship Game Bargaining Under the Mutual Risk of Escalation .pdf
Size
1.38 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
d53798d778365e301904b1e9ee7db1a2
Author(s)
Haun, Phil
O’Hara, Michael
Date Issued
February 14, 2022
Journal
Journal of Political Science Education
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Citation
Haun, P., & O’Hara, M. (2022). The Brinkmanship Game: Bargaining Under the Mutual Risk of Escalation*. Journal of Political Science Education, 18(3), 379–389.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
This article describes a simple two-player game which illustrates basicconcepts of brinkmanship, to include calculations of probability andexpected outcomes, and risk-taking profiles. The game befits a single50-minute class period with introduction, gameplay, and discussion.The game can supplement the study of conflict from classic Cold Warcase studies of crisis bargaining, to arms control, or negotiating inter-national protocols for global climate change such as the ParisAgreement. The Brinkmanship Game was developed for the seventhweek of a 10-week graduate course called Game Theory andDecisionmaking: Exploring Strategic Situations. The course features aflipped classroom with class time devoted to experimentation, game-play, and discussion of readings and games; lectures are online. TheBrinkmanship Game would be appropriate for students in anyadvanced undergraduate or graduate level course in international rela-tions, security studies, negotiation, or game theory. The BrinkmanshipGame provides an active learning opportunity that can be valuable forencouraging students to come to their own understanding of con-cepts of mutual risk-taking. The authors have found the game to beeffective in the classroom and hope it may prove valuable to thosesearching for ways to motivate students and to help them learn.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Security Studies Program
Terms of Use
Creative Commons Attribution
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1080/15512169.2022.2036615
