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Impulse Response Dynamics in Weakest Link Games

Author

Listed:
  • Goerg Sebastian J.

    (Florida State University, Tallahassee, United States of America)

  • Sadrieh Abdolkarim

    (University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany)

  • Neugebauer Tibor

    (University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxemburg)

Abstract

In a recent paper, Croson et al. (2015) experimentally study three weakest link games with multiple symmetric equilibria. They demonstrate that static concepts based on the Nash equilibrium (including multiple Nash equilibria, quantal response equilibria, and equilibrium selection by risk and payoff dominance) cannot successfully capture the observed treatment differences. Using Reinhard Selten’s impulse response dynamics, we derive a proposition that provides a theoretical ranking of contribution levels in the weakest link games. We show that the predicted ranking of treatment outcomes is fully consistent with the observed data. In addition, we demonstrate that the impulse response dynamics perform well in tracking average contributions over time. We conclude that Reinhard Selten’s impulse response dynamics provide an extremely valuable behavioral approach that is not only capable of resolving the indecisiveness of static approaches in games with many equilibria, but that can also be used to track the development of choices over time in games with repeated interaction.

Suggested Citation

  • Goerg Sebastian J. & Sadrieh Abdolkarim & Neugebauer Tibor, 2016. "Impulse Response Dynamics in Weakest Link Games," German Economic Review, De Gruyter, vol. 17(3), pages 284-297, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:germec:v:17:y:2016:i:3:p:284-297
    DOI: 10.1111/geer.12100
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    2. Federica Alberti & Anna Cartwright & Edward Cartwright, 2021. "Predicting Efficiency in Threshold Public Good Games: A Learning Direction Theory Approach," Working Papers in Economics & Finance 2021-01, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth Business School, Economics and Finance Subject Group.
    3. Selten, Reinhard & Neugebauer, Tibor, 2019. "Experimental stock market dynamics: Excess bids, directional learning, and adaptive style-investing in a call-auction with multiple multi-period lived assets," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 209-224.
    4. Edward Cartwright & Anna Stepanova, 2017. "Efficiency in a forced contribution threshold public good game," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 46(4), pages 1163-1191, November.
    5. Edward Cartwright, 2018. "The Optimal Strategy in the Minimum Effort Game," Games, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-11, June.
    6. Keser Claudia & Gaudeul Alexia, 2016. "Foreword: Special Issue in Honor of Reinhard Selten’s 85th Birthday," German Economic Review, De Gruyter, vol. 17(3), pages 277-283, August.

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