Steven J. Brams (born November 28, 1940) is a
game theoristGame theory is a branch of applied mathematics that is used in the social sciences, most notably in economics, as well as in biology, engineering, political science, international relations, computer science, and philosophy...
and political scientist at the
New York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian, research university in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
department of politics. Brams is best known for using the techniques of
game theoryGame theory is a branch of applied mathematics that is used in the social sciences, most notably in economics, as well as in biology, engineering, political science, international relations, computer science, and philosophy...
and public choice to research voting systems and
fair divisionFair division, also known as the cake cutting problem, is the problem of dividing a resource in such a way that all recipients believe that they have received a fair amount...
. He is one of the independent discoverers of
approval votingApproval voting is a single-winner voting system used for elections. Each voter may vote for as many of the candidates as they wish. The winner is the candidate receiving the most votes...
. Also, he was a co-discoverer, with
Alan TaylorAlan Dana Taylor is a mathematician who, with Steven Brams, solved the problem of envy-free Fair division for an arbitrary number of people.Taylor received his Ph.D...
of the first
envy-freeIn mathematical sociology and especially game theory, envy-free is a property of certain fair division algorithms for a divisible heterogeneous good over which different players may have different preferences....
solution to the n-person cake cutting problem. Previous to the Brams-Taylor solution, the cake cutting problem had been one of the most important open problems in contemporary mathematics. In 2006 with others he devised the
surplus procedureThe surplus procedure is a fair division protocol for dividing goods in a way that achieves proportional equitability. It can be generalized to more than 2 people and is strategyproof. For 3 or more people it not always possible to achieve a division that is both equitabile and envy-free.The...
, an optimal alternative to the ancient procedure of
divide and chooseIn problems of fair division, divide and choose is a two-party proportional envy-free allocation protocol. The protocol also works for dividing an undesirable, as in chore division....
.
Brams was born in
Concord, New HampshireThe city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2000 census, its population was 40,765. Its estimated population in 2007 was 42,392.Concord includes the villages of Penacook, East Concord and West...
. He earned his
B.S.A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years ....
at
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological research...
in Politics, Economics, and Science in 1962. In 1966, he went on to earn his
Ph.D.Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated PhD , for the Latin , meaning "teacher of philosophy", or alternatively, DPhil, for the equivalent , is an advanced academic degree awarded by universities...
in
Political SciencePolitical science is a social science concerned with the theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior. It is often described as the pragmatic application of the art and science of politics defined as "who gets what, when and how",...
at
Northwestern University{{Infobox university|name = Northwestern University|image_name = NU seal.png|motto = Quaecumque sunt vera |mottoeng =Whatsoever things are true |established = 1851|type = Private|calendar = Quarter...
.
He worked briefly in U.S. federal government positions before taking an Assistant Professor position at
Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, U.S.A.. It was founded as a university in 1870, but its roots can be traced back to a seminary founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832 which eventually became Genesee College...
in 1967. He moved to
New York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian, research university in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1969, where he is a Professor in the Department of Politics. From 2004-2006, he was president of the Public Choice Society.
External links
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