Susan Skeath
Professor of Economics
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Acting Director of the Quantitative Reasoning Program Interests in microeconomics, advanced and intermediate theory, applied game theory, and experimental economics.
My current research interests lie in the areas of applied game theory and experimental economics. Much of this current work is related to the research my co-authors and I complete while updating our textbook, Games of Strategy, which is going to 5th edition in 2019. Our most recent project probes the reasons why it may be "better to go first" in professional soccer penalty shoot-outs. I have also investigated the role of experience in play of the "p-beauty" game, and the role of communication and advice in a public goods contribution game. My previous research was almost exclusively in the area of international trade, the field in which I completed my dissertation. That earlier work focused initially on strategic trade theory and later on analyses of antidumping behavior worldwide.
I currently teach microeconomic theory at the intermediate and advanced levels as well as a course on basic game theory (Games of Strategy). The Games of Strategy course became an Ann E. Maurer Public Speaking Intensive course as of fall 2018. I have also taught International Trade Theory, Industrial Organization and microeconomic principles.
I am the mother of two almost adult children and I am a big sports fan (mostly baseball and soccer, but I am not too picky). I also enjoy traveling, particularly to New Zealand, my husband's home country.
Education
- B.A., Haverford College
- M.A., Princeton University
- Ph.D., Princeton University
Current and upcoming courses
Games of Strategy
ECON222
Should you sell your house at an auction where the highest bidder gets the house, but only pays the second-highest bid? Should the U.S. government institute a policy of never negotiating with terrorists? The effects of decisions in such situations often depend on how others react to them. This course introduces some basic concepts and insights from the theory of games that can be used to understand any situation in which strategic decisions are made. The course will emphasize applications rather than formal theory. Extensive use is made of in-class experiments, examples, and cases drawn from business, economics, politics, movies, and current events.
(ECON 222 and PEAC 222 are cross-listed courses.)-
Games of Strategy
ECON222
Should you sell your house at an auction where the highest bidder gets the house, but only pays the second-highest bid? Should the U.S. government institute a policy of never negotiating with terrorists? The effects of decisions in such situations often depend on how others react to them. This course introduces some basic concepts and insights from the theory of games that can be used to understand any situation in which strategic decisions are made. The course will emphasize applications rather than formal theory. Extensive use is made of in-class experiments, examples, and cases drawn from business, economics, politics, movies, and current events. (ECON 222 and PEAC 222 are cross-listed courses.) -
Intermediate microeconomic theory: analysis of the individual household, firm, industry, and market, and the social implications of resource allocation choices. Emphasis on application of theoretical methodology.
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Intermediate microeconomic theory: analysis of the individual household, firm, industry, and market, and the social implications of resource allocation choices. Emphasis on application of theoretical methodology.