Application of Game Theory on Decision Making in UN Security Council

Bachelor thesis Application of Game Theory on Decision Making in the UN Security Council quantitatively examines decisions of permanent Security Council members in the period between 1985 and February 2011. In the first part, theoretical framework of game theory as such is described. In the second part, formal functioning of the Security Council is explained with emphasis on vetoing. In the third part, the model itself is formulated. It is based especially on the model of Two-Level Games of J.Putnam and also the Strategic Perspective. Permanent members of the Security Council are categorized according to their degree of democracy/autocracy into three types. These types are then assigned to corresponding states. A mechanism is then developed that accounts for both gains on the domestic level as well as international level. The thesis postulates that because states have different mechanisms of acquiring utility, the trends in Security Council voting will be different. Statistical analysis of the data follows and shows a considerable dependence between type of the actor and usage of the veto. Democratic type is more likely to use the veto power than the other types. This persists even if accounted for uneven distribution of different types in the Security Council