Overview

This book offers a rigorous, concise, and nontechnical introduction to some of the fundamental insights of rational choice theory. It draws on formal theories of microeconomics, decision making, games, and social choice, and on ideas developed in philosophy, psychology, and sociology. Itzhak Gilboa argues that economic theory has provided a set of powerful models and broad insights that have changed the way we think about everyday life. He focuses on basic insights of the rational choice paradigm--the general conceptualization rather than a particular theory--that survive recent (and well-justified) critiques of economic theory's various failures. Gilboa explains the main concepts in language accessible to the nonspecialist, offering a nonmathematical guide to some of the main ideas developed in economic theory in the second half of the twentieth century. Chapters cover feasibility and desirability, utility maximization, constrained optimization, expected utility, probability and statistics, aggregation of preferences, games and equilibria, free markets, and rationality and emotions. Online appendixes offer additional material, including a survey of relevant mathematical concepts.

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9780262014007

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Reviews

Gilboa's Rational Choice is a clear, comprehensive, and clever introduction to economic theory. The focus is on the concepts, not the mathematics. It introduces the reader to the tenets of the field, while incorporating insights from philosophy, psychology, and sociology. --Amanda Friedenberg, W.P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University

Rational Choice provides a clear and non-technical introduction to the theory of rational individual decision making, as well as brief looks at game theory, social choice, and market equilibrium. The book is particularly strong in its treatment of risk and uncertainty, where it combines lucid descriptions of the standard theory with some discussion of its limitations. Highly recommended! --Drew Fudenberg, Department of Economics, Harvard University Gilboa's Rational Choice is a clear, comprehensive, and clever introduction to economic theory. The focus is on the concepts, not the mathematics. It introduces the reader to the tenets of the field, while incorporating insights from philosophy, psychology, and sociology. --Amanda Friedenberg, W.P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University

Author Information

Itzhak Gilboa is Professor of Economics and Decision Sciences at HEC (cole des Hautes tudes Commerciales), Paris, and Professor of Economics at Berglas School of Economics, Tel Aviv University. He is the coauthor (with David Schmeidler) of Theory of Case-Based Decisions and the author of Theory of Decision under Uncertainty.

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