We compare equilibrium allocations in directed search models where prices are determined alternatively by posting and by competing auctions, with the following results. With finite numbers of players, sellers' expected payoffs are higher when all sellers auction than when all sellers post. This difference is largest in the 2-by-2 case, where payoffs to sellers are 1/3 higher if they auction. The difference in the payoffs decreases rapidly with market size and vanishes in the limit "large" economy. When sellers can choose whether to post prices or auction in the 2-by-2- case, all combinations (auction-auction, post-post, and auction-post) can occur in equilibrium if sellers choose mechanism and price simultaneously. However, if sellers choose mechanism before price then the dominant strategy equilibrium has both sellers auctioning.
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Find related papers by JEL classification: E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomics: Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, and Vacancies - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search D44 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure and Pricing - - - Auctions
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