ALGORITHMIC GAME THEORY

Comp553/Math553 - Fall Term, 2012.

General Information.

  • Course Instructor
  • Teaching Assistant
  • Lectures
  • Topics
  • Prerequisites
  • Textbook
  • Assignments

    Instructor.

  • Prof. Adrian Vetta
  • Telephone: 398-3822
  • Office: Room 1118, Burnside Building
  • Office hours: Friday 12.30pm-2.30pm.
  • Email: vetta at math dot mcgill dot ca
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    Teaching Assistant.

  • Huining Hu
  • Office: Room 303, McConnell Bldg.
  • Office hours: Monday 1pm-3pm.
  • Email: huining.hu at mail.mcgill.ca
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    Lectures.

  • Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays 8.30am-10am.
  • Location: Room 1100, Trottier Bldg.
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    Topics.

    An introduction to algorithmic game theory.

    The course will cover classical topics in economics and game theory, such as social choice theory,
    mechanism design, general equilibrium theory and welfare economics, and cooperative game theory.
    We will also be interested in computational aspects and in modern applications such as
    webpage advertising, online auctions, bandwidth allocation, network and traffic routing, social networks etc.

    A list of the lectures with pointers to the relevant literature can be found here.
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    Pre-requisites.

    A strong mathematical background. The course is intended primarily for higher level undergraduate
    and graduate students in mathematics, computer science, and economics.

    Given the interdisciplinary nature of the course no specific course can be a prerequisite.
    All concepts will be taught from scratch but a background in any of the following is useful:
    game theory, economics, mathematical programming and optimization, algorithms and
    complexity, discrete mathematics.
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    Textbooks.

    There is no required text.

    Reference books are:
  • Algorithmic Game Theory by N. Nisan, T. Roughgarden, E. Tardos, and V. Vazirani (eds), Cambridge University Press, 2007.
  • Networks, Crowds and Markets by D. Easley and J. Kleinberg, Cambridge University Press, 2010.
  • Multiagent Systems: Algorithmic, Game Theoretic and Logical Foundations by Y. Shoham and K. Leyton-Brown, Cambridge University Press, 2009.
    [Note. Readable pdfs for all three of these books can be viewed via links from the authors' webpages.]

    General introductions to game theory can be found in the following books:
  • Game Theory by D. Fudenberg and J. Tirole, MIT Press, 1991.
  • Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict by R. Myerson, Harvard University Press, 1991.
  • An Introduction to Game Theory by M. Osborne, Oxford University Press, 2003.
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    Assignments.

    Course grades will be based upon assignments (30%) and a final exam (70%) - or just the final exam (100%) if this leads to a better mark.

    Assignments are posted here.
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