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Coalitions

A coalition is defined as two or more individuals or groups who act jointly to affect their own and others' outcomes. Coalitions, which can be found at every level of human organization, arise in situations where people are in conflict over the allocation of scarce outcomes but need each other to reach an agreement. This entry begins by describing the game approaches used to study coalition formation, and then examines some of the predominant theories used to explain coalition-building behavior.

Coalition Games

To understand coalition formation as a group process, social psychologists have adopted an approach that has its roots in game theory. In this approach, parties (individuals or groups) are called players, and the format in which these players negotiate about forming a coalition is called ...

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