Game‐theoretic Resource Modeling

Games—mathematical models of strategic interaction—embrace a multitude of disciplines, in each of which they form a largely separate field of study with its own traditions and priorities. Game‐theoretic resource modeling concerns itself primarily with strategic aspects of externalities arising from joint use of the commons, although it also deals with externalities of privately owned resources and with questions of fairness in allocating shared resource costs. This essay surveys resource games—in fisheries, forestry, water resources and environmental regulation—within a novel unifying framework, assesses their contribution to current understanding of resource issues, and indicates their promise for the future.