William H. Riker

William Harrison Riker ( born September 22, 1920 in Des Moines, Iowa, † June 26, 1993 ) was an American political scientist. His areas of expertise included game theory and the theory of federalism.

Riker received his PhD in 1948 at Harvard University. He then taught at Lawrence University in Appleton (Wisconsin ). During this time he published his major work, The Theory of Political Coalitions. Since 1962 he was a member of the University of Rochester in Rochester (New York). During this time he contributed to Duverger's law.