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Time to Decide: Information Search and Revelation in Groups

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  • Spinnewijn, Johannes
  • Campbell, Arthur
  • Ederer, Florian

Abstract

We analyze costly information acquisition and information revelation in groups in a dynamic setting. Even when group members have perfectly aligned interests the group may inefficiently delay decisions. When deadlines are far away, uninformed group members freeride on each others' efforts to acquire information. When deadlines draw close, informed group members stop revealing their information in an attempt to incentivize other group members to continue searching for information. Surprisingly, setting a tighter deadline may increase the expected decision time and increase the expected accuracy of the decision in the unique equilibrium. As long as the deadline is set optimally, welfare is higher when information is only privately observable to the agent who obtained information rather than to the entire group.

Suggested Citation

  • Spinnewijn, Johannes & Campbell, Arthur & Ederer, Florian, 2011. "Time to Decide: Information Search and Revelation in Groups," CEPR Discussion Papers 8531, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:8531
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Deadlines; Group decisions; Information disclosure; Information search;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D71 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • H42 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Publicly Provided Private Goods

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