Game Theory of Fractured America
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-09-08/a-game-theory-solution-for-a-fractured-america
America is currently in a fractured state that has not been since the Civil War with both sides holding their ground. This polarization has created a huge rift in America, with a large impact on the political arena, spilling over into the economy. With the use of filibusters and vetoing, the United States healthcare and tax policy have become a standstill, with both majority parties solely voting on their respective lines.
The class concepts can be utilized to analyze the ideal outcome which is that massive gridlock cannot be in place for eternity but only cooperation on either side will achieve a successful outcome. By applying game theory in this scenario, one calculates that over indefinite scenarios, each player realizes the other will not back down and therefore the best solution will be to cooperate.
The evidence that either party will not disappear is seen in the current demographics of America. Three out of five Americans identify as non-Hispanic white with the ratio only decreasing. But on the other side, that means there are 120 million non-white Americans which is not a small margin of the US and realistically cannot just vanish either. This dynamic is also seen by looking at a population center map with urban cities containing more of the liberal party compared to the rural areas leaning hard to the right. Both geographic locations are essential to the American economy with most of the service sector produced by the urban centers and are funded by the resource inputs of the rural communities. Therefore, as the article states, “Red America from Blue America, or vice versa — the two are inextricably connected and dependent on one another.”
The current short term mindset held by both parties has created a prisoner dilemma of short proportion centered around the current election cycles. However, as stated above the people must look forward and analyze game theory indefinitely, realizing that cooperation is best for the future of economic and social prosperity of America.