ABSTRACT

One of the main findings of this study is the degree to which Thomas Schelling’s powerful and influential strategic thinking of the 1960s was influenced by questions he had begun to ask as an economist in the early postwar years. A second, and perhaps even more important finding, is the way that Schelling’s continuing interest in the concept of stability provides a framework for understanding his overall approach to strategy. This chapter begins the process of outlining these key themes, and shows them to be richly intertwined in the evolution of Schelling’s career.