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Learning and market clearing: theory and experiments

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  • Carlos Alós-Ferrer
  • Georg Kirchsteiger

Abstract

This paper investigates theoretically and experimentally whether traders learn to use market-clearing trading institutions or whether other (inefficient) market institutions can survive in the long run. Using a framework with boundedly rational traders, we find that market-clearing institutions are always stable under a general class of learning dynamics. However, we show that there exist other, non-market-clearing institutions that are also stable. Therefore, in the long run, traders may fail to coordinate exclusively on market-clearing institutions. Using a replica-economies approach, we find the results to be robust to large market size. The theoretical predictions were confirmed in a series of platform choice experiments. Traders coordinated on platforms predicted to be stable, including market-clearing as well as non-market-clearing ones, while platforms predicted to be unstable were avoided in the long run. Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Carlos Alós-Ferrer & Georg Kirchsteiger, 2015. "Learning and market clearing: theory and experiments," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 60(2), pages 203-241, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joecth:v:60:y:2015:i:2:p:203-241
    DOI: 10.1007/s00199-015-0885-8
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

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    2. Olga A. Rud & Jean Paul Rabanal, 2018. "Evolution of markets: a simulation with centralized, decentralized and posted offer formats," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 667-689, August.
    3. Carlos Alós-Ferrer & Johannes Buckenmaier & Georg Kirchsteiger, 2022. "Do traders learn to select efficient market institutions?," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 25(1), pages 203-228, February.
    4. Alós-Ferrer, Carlos & Buckenmaier, Johannes, 2017. "Trader matching and the selection of market institutions," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 118-127.
    5. Carlos Alós-Ferrer & Johannes Buckenmaier & Georg Kirchsteiger, 2020. "Do Traders Learn to Select Efficient Market Institutions?," ECON - Working Papers 364, Department of Economics - University of Zurich.
    6. Sjur Didrik Flåm, 2020. "Emergence of price-taking Behavior," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 70(3), pages 847-870, October.
    7. Alós-Ferrer, Carlos & Kirchsteiger, Georg, 2017. "Market selection by boundedly-rational traders under constant returns to scale," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 51-53.
    8. Carlos Alós-Ferrer & Nick Netzer, 2017. "On the convergence of logit-response to (strict) Nash equilibria," Economic Theory Bulletin, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 5(1), pages 1-8, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Market institution; Market clearing; Coordination ; Learning; C72; D4; D83;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • D4 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness

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