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Assigning agents to a line

Author

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  • HOUGAARD, Jens L.

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • moreno-ternero, JUAN D.

    (Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Spain and Université catholique de Louvain, CORE, Belgium)

  • OSTERDAL, Lars P.

    (University of Southern Denmark)

Abstract

We consider the problem of assigning agents to slots on a line, where only one agent can be served at a slot and each agent prefers to be served as close as possible to his target. Our focus is on utilitarian methods, i.e., those that minimize the total gap between targets and assigned slots. We first consider deterministic assignment of agents to slots, and provide a direct method for testing if a given deterministic assignment is utilitarian. We then consider probabilistic assignment of agents to slots, and make use of the previous method to propose a utilitarian modification of the classic random priority method to solve this class of problems. We also provide some logical relations in our setting among standard axioms in the literature on assignment problems.

Suggested Citation

  • HOUGAARD, Jens L. & moreno-ternero, JUAN D. & OSTERDAL, Lars P., 2013. "Assigning agents to a line," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2013015, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    • Handle: RePEc:cor:louvco:2013015
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    Cited by:

    1. Hougaard, Jens Leth & Moreno-Ternero, Juan D. & Østerdal, Lars Peter, 2014. "Assigning agents to a line," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 539-553.
    2. Youngsub Chun & Boram Park, 2017. "A graph theoretic approach to the slot allocation problem," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 48(1), pages 133-152, January.
    3. Youngsub Chun & Manipushpak Mitra & Suresh Mutuswami, 2019. "Recent developments in the queueing problem," TOP: An Official Journal of the Spanish Society of Statistics and Operations Research, Springer;Sociedad de Estadística e Investigación Operativa, vol. 27(1), pages 1-23, April.
    4. CORNUEJOLS, Gérard & WOLSEY, Laurence & YILDIZ, Sercan, 2013. "Sufficiency of cut-generating functions," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2013027, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    5. Aziz, Haris & Hougaard, Jens Leth & Moreno-Ternero, Juan D. & Østerdal, Lars Peter, 2017. "Computational aspects of assigning agents to a line," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 93-99.
    6. François Maniquet & Massimo Morelli, 2015. "Approval quorums dominate participation quorums," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 45(1), pages 1-27, June.
    7. Yu Zhou & Youngsub Chun & Shigehiro Serizawa, 2022. "A characterization of the Vickrey rule in slot allocation problems," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 18(1), pages 38-49, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    probabilistic assignment; random priority; utilitarianism; sd-efficiency; bottleneck;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C78 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Bargaining Theory; Matching Theory
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement

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