Reconciling multiple objectives – Politics or markets? (Transcript of discussion)

Abstract

Ross Anderson: Well if we have to reconcile multiple objectives, game theory suggests that there are two ways of doing this: you can use politics or you can use markets. You can cooperate or you can fight. If you want to get something you can’t produce yourself, you either produce something and trade it, or you go out with your friends with pointy sticks or with ballot boxes and take it some other way. Game theory gives us at least the beginnings of a framework for understanding how people make these choices.