Games Indians Play

In a rare attempt to understand the Indianness of Indians—among the most intelligent people in the world, but also, to a dispassionate eye, perhaps the most baffling—V. Raghunathan uses the props of game theory and behavioral economics to provide insight into the difficult conundrum of why we are the way we are. He examines our attitudes towards rationality and irrationality, selflessness and selfishness, competition and cooperation, and collaboration and deception. Drawing examples from daily behaviors, Games Indians Play shows how, in the long run, individuals—whether businessmen, politicians, bureaucrats, or ordinary people—stand to profit more if they assume a little self-regulation, give fairness a chance, and strive to cooperate and collaborate a bit more, even if self-interest remains our main motivation.