On Game Theory and Coalition Formation.

摘要

The theory of n-person cooperative games presented by von Neumann and Morgenstern is a mathematical theory of coalition behaviour. A fundamental problem posed in game theory is to determine what outcomes are likely to occur if a game is played by rational players. Given an n-person cooperative game and assuming rational behaviour, it is natural to inquire which of the possible coalitions can be expected to form and what will be the final payoffs to each of the players. However, most of the research in game theory has been concerned explicityly with predicting player's payoff and only implicityly (if at all) with predicting which coalitions shall form. In this investigation, the primary emphasis is on the first aspect of coalition behaviour, namely the formation of coalitions.