Books

Books : reviews

Steven J. Brams, Alan D. Taylor.
Fair Division: from cake-cutting to dispute resolution.
CUP. 1996

Cutting a cake, dividing up the property in an estate, determining the borders in an international dispute – such problems of fair division are ubiquitous. Fair division treats all these problems and many more through a rigorous analysis of a variety of procedures for allocating goods (or “bads,” like chores), or deciding who wins on what issues, when there are disputes. Starting with an analysis of the well-known cake-cutting procedure, “I cut, you choose,” the authors show how it has been adapted in a number of fields and then analyze fair-division procedures applicable to situations in which there are more than two parties, or there is more than one good to be divided. In particular, they focus on procedures which provide "envy-free" allocations, in which everybody thinks he or she has received the largest portion and hence does not envy anybody else. They also discuss the fairness of different auction and election procedures.

Steven J. Brams, Alan D. Taylor.
The Win-Win Solution: guaranteeing fair shares for everyone.
Norton. 1999

Here is a compelling procedure for dispute resolution that will enable you to:
• Divide a contested set of goods equitably and efficiently
• Settle your dispute without time-consuming haggling or expensive litigation
• Remove the risk of losing to a more skillful bargainer
• Feel you got more than half of the total value (sorry, your rival will feel the same way)

This procedure, called “adjusted winner,” applies broadly, from divorce to business to international disputes. Based on a simple point-allocation system, it produces in hours, even minutes, resolutions that can and do take expert negotiators weeks and months to work out. What you really want to know is on which issues you will win, on which you will lose, and on which you will have to compromise. To this question, the authors bring a patented procedure that enables both parties to walk away with their maximum win-win potential.