This book contributes to the history of game theory by examining how the Theory of Games entered political science. This transition was largely driven by the work of the American political scientist William H. Riker, who, although trained in a traditional approach to the discipline, embraced game theory and formal political analysis in the late 1950s. His efforts were central to the emergence of Positive Political Theory. The book refines the conventional narrative on game theory’s role in political science, showing its adoption as an autonomous intellectual trajectory rather than a mere case of economic imperialism. Methodologically, it offers a historical reconstruction of Riker’s early works, especially The Theory of Political Coalitions (1962), combining critical analysis with extensive archival research and interviews to trace the intellectual and institutional forces shaping this transformation.
Gianluca Damiani
The parallel paths of Economics and Political Science: from the early XXth century to the Postwarpp.9-47
pp.49-81
pp.83-109
Gianluca Damiani
Looking for a “Genuine Science of Politics”: Riker’s “The Theory of Political Coalitions”pp.111-139
pp.141-175
Book Title
Looking for a Science of Politics
Book Subtitle
William H. Riker and the adoption of Game Theory in Political Science
Authors
Gianluca Damiani
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
234
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0978-6
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0977-9
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0978-6
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-0979-3
Series Title
Premio Tesi di Dottorato Città di Firenze
Series ISSN
3103-3881
Series E-ISSN
3103-3989