The Presidential Election Game

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“This book uniquely serves to introduce non-specialists to ideas that will improve their understanding of American presidential politics and, if heeded, improve the system as well.”

—PRESIDENTIAL STUDIES QUARTERLY, review of First Edition

The Presidential Election Game may change the way you think about presidential elections and, for that matter, American politics in general. It is not filled with statistics about the voting behaviour of citizens, nor does it give detailed histories of past campaigns. Rather, it is an analytic treatment of strategy in the race for the presidency, from the primaries to the general election. Using modern game theory and decision theory, Brams demonstrates why certain campaign strategies are more effective than others and supports his analysis with historical evidence.

"An important and original book which will be essential reading for any serious student of presidential elections in the United States.”

—JOURNAL OF AMERICAN STUDIES, review of First Edition

Steven J. Brams is Professor of Politics at New York University and the author, co-author, or co-editor of 15 books, including The Win-Win Solution: Guaranteeing Fair Shares to Everybody (1999), and Mathematics and Democracy: Designing Better Voting and Fair-Division Procedures (2007) and 250 articles. Brams has applied game theory and social-choice theory to voting and elections, bargaining and fairness, international relations, and the Bible and theology.