Competitive behavior in market games: Evidence and theory

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Economic Theory
Year: 2011
Volume: 146
Issue: 4
Pages: 1437-1463

Authors (3)

Duffy, John (not in RePEc) Matros, Alexander (University of South Carolina) Temzelides, Ted (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We explore whether competitive outcomes arise in an experimental implementation of a market game, introduced by Shubik (1973) [21]. Market games obtain Pareto inferior (strict) Nash equilibria, in which some or possibly all markets are closed. We find that subjects do not coordinate on autarkic Nash equilibria, but favor more efficient Nash equilibria in which all markets are open. As the number of subjects participating in the market game increases, the Nash equilibrium they achieve approximates the associated competitive equilibrium of the underlying economy. Motivated by these findings, we provide a theoretical argument for why evolutionary forces can lead to competitive outcomes in market games.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:jetheo:v:146:y:2011:i:4:p:1437-1463
Journal Field
Theory
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25