A few years ago, I attended a lecture by former World Bank Chief Economist Kaushik Basu in which he discussed his return to the academy to study game theory (Cornell) after a long tenure working in public policy and international relations. I invite Basu into this week’s column not to merely be the only college football blog you’ll read this season that mentions former World Bank Economists, but to discuss his ideas of “focal points.” In these strategically rational situations, certain elements draw attention for no apparent reasons, and they cause inefficiencies. In his talk, Basu illustrated this concept with a game.
Preseason Poll Rant: Focal Points and Arcade Ladders
