Innovation races: An experimental study on strategic research activities

In an experimental setting, firms in a duopoly market engage in a patent tournament and compete for profit-enhancing product advancements. The firms generate income by matching exogenously defined demand preferences with an appropriately composed product portfolio of their own. Demand preferences are initially unknown and first need to be revealed by an investigation of the possible product variations. The better firms approximate demand preferences, the higher their profits. In the ensuing innovation race, firms interact through information spillovers resulting from the imperfect appropriability of research successes. In the random period of the experiment, the continuity of the search process is disturbed by an exogenous shock that affects both the supply and demand side and again spurs research competition. Firms may henceforth explore an enlarged product space in attempting to match the equally modified demand preferences. In our analysis, we explore the behavioural regularities of agents who are engaged in innovation activities. As a key element we test to what extend relative economic performance exercises a stimulating effect on the implementation of innovation and imitation strategies.Innovation, Imitation, Patent Tournament, Trial and Error Process

Competition in Innovation and Imitation - A Theoretical and Experimental Study -

For given product specifications by two competing firms the demand levels are determined by a randomly generated ideal composition of aspects. Firms can vary some or all aspects of these products, based on information about own (and other's) previous demand. Although the product space is much too large to be explored systematically, we expect (and test for) rather reasonable innovative success and welfare levels due to own innovative attempts and imitation of a successful other. Parameter variations concern the pioneer advantage and search costs.Innovation, Imitation, Patent Tournament, Trial and Error Process

Allocation, externalities, and the fair division approach: An experimental study

We experimentally investigate four allocation mechanisms - all based on the fair division approach, with varying bid elicitation methods and price rules - in terms of their allocation efficiency, distributional effects, and regularities in individual bidding behavior. In a repeated design, an indivisible good is assigned that generates profits for its owner but, at the same time, exerts negative externalities on the non-acquiring bidders. Both the bidders' valuations of the good and their potentially incurred damages are stochastic and denote private information, inciting strategic bidding and complicating an efficient allocation. Indeed, observed bidding is dominated by strategic reporting which, however, only marginally diminishes efficiency. One particular allocation mechanism, relying on sparse information elicitation and the first-price rule, is found to yield economically superior results to both more complex and second-price based allocation mechanisms.Allocation, auction, fair division, externalities, experiment

Aspiration formation and satisficing in search with(out) competition

We experimentally explore individual and competitive search, and we test whether generally accepted principles of bounded rationality adequately explain observed search behavior. Subjects can, at a cost, employ screening and selection methods not only facilitating search but also directly revealing their aspirations. Most subjects follow the single threshold heuristic after extensive experimentation. Surprisingly, aspiration levels are set below the maximum value of all previously inspected alternatives. In competitive search, subjects tend to experiment less before engaging in satisficing and generally state lower aspirations. Finally, systematic satisficing seems to pay off.sequential search, secretary problem, optimal stopping, bounded rationality,

Let's Talk about Bidding! Coordination Mechanisms in Procurement Auctions

Collusive agreements are often observed in procurement auctions. They are probably more easily achieved when competitors' costs are easily estimated. If, however, the individual costs of bidders are private information, effective ring formation is difficult to realize. We compare experimentally different coordination mechanisms in a first-price procurement auction in how they promote the prospects of collusive arrangements. One mechanism allows bidders to coordinate by means of unrestricted pre-play communication. The second one enables bidders to restrict their bidding range and the last one gives them the opportunity to implement mutual shareholding. According to our results first-price procurement is quite collusion-proof when allowing for the latter two coordination mechanisms whereas, on average, pre-play communication increases bidders' profits

Collusion mechanisms in procurement auctions: An experimental investigation

Collusive agreements are often observed in procurement auctions. They are probably more easily achieved when competitors’ costs are easily estimated. If, however, the individual costs of bidders are private information, effective ring formation is difficult to realize. We compare experimentally different coordination mechanisms in a first-price procurement auction in how they promote the prospects of collusive arrangements. One mechanism allows bidders to coordinate by means of unrestricted pre-play communication. The second one enables bidders to restrict their bidding range and the last one gives them the opportunity to implement mutual shareholding. According to our results firstprice procurement is quite collusion-proof when allowing for the latter two coordination mechanisms whereas, on average, pre-play communication increases bidders' profits.competition, collusion, auction, bidding, public procurement