Operational Gaming: An International Approach is the result of research carried out at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) situated at Laxenburg (near Vienna), Austria, which relates game theory and system analysis to decision making. The book first shows the relationship of game theory, experimental gaming, and operational gaming through a state-of-the-art survey. This topic includes the history, context, type, and uses of gaming. Then, the text shifts to the discussion on operational gaming, including the definitions of institutional model and game situation concepts. An overview of gaming in different nations including USSR is provided. The book also studies the international transfer of games and the East-West international trade games. The future of this field of study, as well as its implications for humans, is also examined in the latter parts. This book will be of significance to those interested in game theories and those people involved in policy and decision making in their country or organization.
Fiscal Health for Local Governments offers a how-to approach to identifying and solving financial problems. Its principal selling point lies in its assumptions: instead of using the vocabulary and research agendas of economist, finance scholars, and political scientists, it will appeal to readers who lack sophisticated knowledge in these areas and nevertheless need practical advice. The book stems from the Fiscal Health Education Program, an applied economics program at the University of Minnesota. It uses three measures of fiscal health — financial condition, trend analysis, and financial trend monitoring system — as the basis for advocating particular fiscal strategies. The book examines the tools that can be used to assess the condition of a local government's fiscal health and some of the policy causes or remedies for certain situations, as well as some of the strategies governments can pursue to maintain and improve health. It will serve as a primer for readers interested in understanding financial processes and alternatives, and as a practical guide for those who need access to fiscal measurement tools.