2022-497

Informational Cascades in U.S. Politics and Elections

Information cascades, or herding, is the phenomenon of people sequentially making decisions based on previous people’s decisions. We see this commonly in everyday life: restaurants that are busier garner more customers because people observe that previous people decide to eat at that restaurant, social media users will follow a popular influencer because they observe previous… Read more Informational Cascades in U.S. Politics and Elections

Social Networks and Game Theory in US Congress: How Political Polarization Affects Congressional Action

There has been a lot of frustrated discussions lately on why the US Congress is so ineffective. Congressional approval ratings are dismal and the overall legislative effectiveness (rate of bills passed that are introduced each session) has steadily declined over time. Game theory and structural balance theory in social networks can help explain why Congress… Read more Social Networks and Game Theory in US Congress: How Political Polarization Affects Congressional Action