Information Revelation and Random Entry in Sequential Ascending Auctions

We examine a model in which multiple buyers with single-unit demand are faced with an infinite sequence of auctions. New buyers arrive on the market probabilistically, and are each endowed with a constant private value. Moreover, objects also arrive on the market at random times, so the number of competitors and the degree of informational asymmetry among them may vary across from one auction to the next. We demonstrate by way of a simple example the inefficiency of the second-price sealed-bid auction in this setting, and therefore assume that each object is sold via ascending auction. We then characterize an efficient and fully revealing equilibrium for the game in which the objects are sold via ascending auctions. We show that each buyer's bids and payoffs depend only upon their rank amongst their competitors and the (revealed) values of those with lower values. Furthermore, strategies are memoryless---bids depend only upon the information revealed in the current auction, and not on any information that may have been revealed in earlier periods. We then demonstrate that the sequential ascending auction serves as an indirect mechanism that is equivalent---in our setting---to the dynamic marginal contribution mechanism introduced by Bergemann and Välimäki (2007) and generalized in Cavallo et al. (2007)

Information Revelation and Random Entry in Sequential Ascending Auctions

We examine a model in which multiple buyers with single-unit demand are faced with an infinite sequence of auctions. New buyers arrive on the market probabilistically, and are each endowed with a constant private value. Moreover, objects also arrive on the market at random times, so the number of competitors and the degree of informational asymmetry among them may vary across from one auction to the next. We demonstrate by way of a simple example the inefficiency of the second-price sealed-bid auction in this setting, and therefore assume that each object is sold via ascending auction. We then characterize an efficient and fully revealing periodic ex post incentive compatible equilibrium for the game in which the objects are sold via ascending auctions. We show that each buyer's bids and payoffs depend only upon their rank amongst their competitors and the (revealed) values of those with lower values. Furthermore, strategies are memoryless -- bids depend only upon the information revealed in the current auction, and not on any information that may have been revealed in earlier periods. We then demonstrate that the sequential ascending auction serves as an indirect mechanism that is equivalent -- in our setting -- to the dynamic marginal contribution mechanism introduced by Bergemann and Välimäki (2007) and generalized in Cavallo, Parkes, and Singh (2007)

Dynamic Auctions: A Survey

We survey the recent literature on designing auctions and mechanisms for dynamic settings. Two settings are considered: those with a dynamic population of agents or buyers whose private information remains fixed throughout time; and those with a fixed population of agents or buyers whose private information changes across time. Within each of these settings, we discuss both efficient (welfare-maximizing) and optimal (revenue-maximizing) mechanisms.Dynamic auctions and mechanisms, Random arrivals and departures, Changing private information, Incentive compatibility

The Role of Auctions in Allocating Public Resources

This paper provides an economic framework within which to consider the effectiveness and limitations of auction markets. The paper looks at the use of auctions as a policy instrument and the effects of auction design on consumer interests, the efficient allocation of resources, and industry competitiveness.Australia; Research; Ascending-bid auction; Auctions; Bidders; Conservation funds; Descending-bid auction; Dutch auction; English auction; Environmental Management; First-price sealed-bid auction; Infrastructure; Markets; Oral auction; Outcry auction; Pollutant emission permits; Power supply contracts; Public resources; Radio- spectrum; Second-price sealed-bid auction Spectrum licences; Vickrey auction; Water rights;

Are eBay auctions efficient? A model with buyer entries

I use a sequential-auction model to mimic the environment of Internet auction sites, such as eBay. For a sequence of auctions, new buyers may enter the auction site after some of the auctions has completed and only bid for the remaining auctions. Because an incumbent buyer may have revealed their own valuation in earlier auctions while a new entrant do not, their expectations about the future are asymmetric. As a result, a buyer with a lower valuation may win an auction while a buyer with a higher valuation may restrain from bidding higher, resulting an inefficient allocation. On the contrary, selling the multiple items in a single simultaneous auction results in an efficient outcome. The profit from selling all items together in one simultaneous auction is less than that from selling them sequentially.Internet auction, sequential auctions, affiliated private values