A Characterization of the Uniform Rule with Several Commodities and Agents

We consider the problem of allocating infinitely divisible commodities among a group of agents. Especially, we focus on the case where there are several commodities to be allocated, and agents have continuous, strictly convex, and separable preferences. In this paper, we establish that the uniform rule is the only rule satisfying strategy-proofness, unanimity, symmetry, and nonbossiness.

Limitation of Efficiency: Strategy-Proofness and Single-Peaked Preferences with Many Commodities

In this paper, we study a resource allocation problem of economies with many commodities and single-peaked preferences. It is known that the uniform rule is the unique allocation mechanism satisfying strategy-proofness, Pareto efficiency and anonymity, if the number of good is only one and preferences are single peaked. (Sprumont [7].) However, if the number of goods is greater than one, the situation drastically changes and a tradeoff between efficiency and strategy-proofness arises. The generalized uniform rule in multiple-commodity settings is still strategy-proof, but not Pareto efficient in general. In this paper, we show that in a class of all strategy-proof mechanisms the generalized uniform rule is a "second best" strategy-proof mechanism in that there is no other strategy-proof mechanism which gives a "better" outcome than the generalized uniform rule in terms of Pareto domination.

On algorithmic solutions to simple allocation problems

We interpret solution rules to a class of simple allocation problems as data on the choices of a policy-maker. We study the properties of rational rules. We show that every rational rule falls into a class of algorithmic rules that we describe. The Equal Gains rule is a member of this class and it uniquely satisfies rationality, continuity, and equal treatment of equals. Its dual, the Equal Losses rule, uniquely satisfies continuity, equal treatment of equals, and two properties that constitute the dual of rationality: translation down and translation up

Implementation in adaptive better-response dynamics

We study the classic implementation problem under the behavioral assumption that agents myopically adjust their actions in the direction of better-responses within a given institution. We offer results both under complete and incomplete information. First, we show that a necessary condition for assymptotically stable implementation is a small variation of (Maskin) monotonicity, which we call quasimonotonicity. Under standard assumptions in economic environments, we also provide a mechanism for Nash implementation which has good dynamic properties if the rule is quasimonotonic. Thus, quasimonotonicity is both necessary and almost sufficient for assymptotically stable implementation. Under incomplete information, incentive compatibility is necessary for any kind of stable implementation in our sense, while Bayesian quasimonotonicity is necessary for assymptotically stable implementation. Both conditions are also essentially sufficient for assymptotically stable implementation. We then tighten the assumptions on preferences and mutation processes and provide mechanisms for stochastically stable implementation under more permissive conditions on social choice rules.implementation; bounded rationality; evolutionary dynamics; mechanisms

Implementation in Adaptive Better-Response Dynamics

We study the classic implementation problem under the behavioral assumption that agents myopically adjust their actions in the direction of better-responses within a given institution. We offer results both under complete and incomplete information. First, we show that a necessary condition for assymptotically stable implementation is a small variation of (Maskin) monotonicity, which we call quasimonotonicity. Under standard assumptions in economic environments, we also provide a mechanism for Nash implementation which has good dynamic properties if the rule is quasimonotonic. Thus, quasimonotonicity is both necessary and almost sufficient for assymptotically stable implementation. Under incomplete information, incentive compatibility is necessary for any kind of stable implementation in our sense, while Bayesian quasimonotonicity is necessary for assymptotically stable implementation. Both conditions are also essentially sufficient for assymptotically stable implementation. We then tighten the assumptions on preferences and mutation processes and provide mechanisms for stochastically stable implementation under more permissive conditions on social choice rules.

Bartering integer commodities with exogenous prices

The analysis of markets with indivisible goods and fixed exogenous prices has played an important role in economic models, especially in relation to wage rigidity and unemployment. This research report provides a mathematical and computational details associated to the mathematical programming based approaches proposed by Nasini et al. (accepted 2014) to study pure exchange economies where discrete amounts of commodities are exchanged at fixed prices. Barter processes, consisting in sequences of elementary reallocations of couple of commodities among couples of agents, are formalized as local searches converging to equilibrium allocations. A direct application of the analyzed processes in the context of computational economics is provided, along with a Java implementation of the approaches described in this research report.Comment: 30 pages, 5 sections, 10 figures, 3 table

Overlapping Generations Models of General Equilibrium

The OLG model of Allais and Samuelson retains the methodological assumptions of agent optimization and market clearing from the Arrow-Debreu model, yet its equilibrium set has different properties: Pareto inefficiency, indeterminacy, positive valuation of money, and a golden rule equilibrium in which the rate of interest is equal to population growth (independent of impatience). These properties are shown to derive not from market incompleteness, but from lack of market clearing "at infinity;" they can be eliminated with land or uniform impatience. The OLG model is used to analyze bubbles, social security, demographic effects on stock returns, the foundations of monetary theory, Keynesian vs. real business cycle macromodels, and classical vs. neoclassical disputes.Demography, Inefficiency, Indeterminacy, Money, Bubbles, Cycles, Rate of interest, Impatience, Land, Infinity, Expectations, Social security, Golden rule