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The Optimality of Being Efficient

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Author Info
Lawrence M. Ausubel () (Economics Department, University of Maryland)
Peter Cramton () (Economics Department, University of Maryland)

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Abstract

In an optimal auction, a revenue-optimizing seller often awards goods inefficiently, either by placing them in the wrong hands or by withholding goods from the market. This conclusion rests on two assumptions: (1) the seller can prevent resale among bidders after the auction; and (2) the seller can commit to not sell the withheld goods after the auction. We examine how the optimal auction problem changes when these assumptions are relaxed. In sharp contrast to the no resale assumption, we assume perfect resale: all gains from trade are exhausted in resale. In a multiple object model with independent signals, we characterize optimal auctions with resale. We prove generally that with perfect resale, the seller's incentive to misassign goods is destroyed. Moreover, with discrete types, any misassignment of goods strictly lowers the seller's revenue from the optimum. In auction markets followed by perfect resale, it is optimal to assign goods to those with the highest values.

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File URL: http://www.cramton.umd.edu/papers1995-1999/98wp-optimality-of-being-efficient.pdf
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of Maryland, Department of Economics - Peter Cramton in its series Papers of Peter Cramton with number 98wpoe.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML, plain text, BibTeX, RIS (EndNote), ReDIF
Length: 29 pages
Date of creation: 28 May 1998
Date of revision: 18 Jun 1999
Handle: RePEc:pcc:pccumd:98wpoe

Note: Working Paper
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Postal: Economics Department, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-7211
Phone: (202) 318-0520
Fax: (202) 318-0520
Web page: http://www.cramton.umd.edu

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Peter Cramton).

Related research
Keywords: Auctions Multiple Object Auctions Resale

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D44 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure and Pricing - - - Auctions

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Horstmann, Ignatius J & LaCasse, Chantale, 1997. "Secret Reserve Prices in a Bidding Model with a Resale Option," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(4), pages 663-84, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Harstad, Ronald M., 1993. "Auctions With Endogenous Bidder Participation," Discussion Paper Serie B 251, University of Bonn, Germany.
  3. Armstrong, Mark, 2000. "Optimal Multi-object Auctions," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 67(3), pages 455-81, July.
  4. Harstad, Ronald M, 1990. "Alternative Common-Value Auction Procedures: Revenue Comparisons with Free Entry," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(2), pages 421-29, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. repec:att:wimass:19199933 is not listed on IDEAS
  6. Avery, Christopher & Hendershott, Terrence, 2000. "Bundling and Optimal Auctions of Multiple Products," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 67(3), pages 483-97, July.
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  8. Ausubel, Lawrence M & Deneckere, Raymond J, 1989. "Reputation in Bargaining and Durable Goods Monopoly," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 57(3), pages 511-31, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. McAfee, R. Preston & McMillan, John, 1987. "Auctions with entry," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 343-347. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Lawrence Ausubel & Peter Cramton, 2004. "Vickrey auctions with reserve pricing," Economic Theory, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 493-505, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. McAfee, R Preston & Reny, Philip J, 1992. "Correlated Information and Mechanism Design," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 60(2), pages 395-421, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Coase, Ronald H, 1972. "Durability and Monopoly," Journal of Law & Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(1), pages 143-49, April.
  13. Myerson, Roger B. & Satterthwaite, Mark A., 1983. "Efficient mechanisms for bilateral trading," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 265-281, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  14. Haile, Philip A., 2003. "Auctions with private uncertainty and resale opportunities," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 108(1), pages 72-110, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Levin, Dan & Smith, James L, 1994. "Equilibrium in Auctions with Entry," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(3), pages 585-99, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Bernard Caillaud & Jacques Robert, 2003. "Implementing the Optimal Auction," CIRANO Working Papers 2003s-31, CIRANO. [Downloadable!]
  17. Philip A. Haile, 2001. "Auctions with Resale Markets: An Application to U.S. Forest Service Timber Sales," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(3), pages 399-427, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Levin, Dan & Smith, James L, 1996. "Optimal Reservation Prices in Auctions," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 106(438), pages 1271-83, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Lawrence M. Ausubel & Peter Cramton, 1995. "Demand Reduction and Inefficiency in Multi-Unit Auctions," Papers of Peter Cramton 98wpdr, University of Maryland, Department of Economics - Peter Cramton, revised 22 Jul 2002. [Downloadable!]
  20. Vijay Krishna & Motty Perry, 1997. "Efficient Mechanism Design," Game Theory and Information 9703010, EconWPA, revised 28 Apr 1998. [Downloadable!]
  21. Cremer, Jacques, & Riordan, Michael H, 1985. "A Sequential Solution to the Public Goods Problem," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 53(1), pages 77-84, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  22. Engelbrecht-Wiggans, Richard, 1988. "Revenue equivalence in multi-object auctions," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 15-19. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Peter Cramton & Jesse Schwartz, 2000. "Collusive Bidding: Lessons from the FCC Spectrum Auctions," Papers of Peter Cramton 00jre, University of Maryland, Department of Economics - Peter Cramton, revised 09 Mar 1999. [Downloadable!]
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  2. Onderstal, S., 2002. "The chopstick auction," Discussion Paper 35, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
  3. Sandro Brusco & Giuseppe Lopomo, 2004. "Collusion via Signalling in Simultaneous Ascending Bid Auctions with Heterogeneous Objects, with and without Complementarities," Levine's Bibliography 122247000000000385, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Rod Garratt & Thomas Troger, 2003. "Speculation in Second-Price Auctions with Resale," Levine's Bibliography 506439000000000246, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Doh Shin Jeon & Domenico Menicucci, 2001. "Optimal Second-degree Price Discrimination and Arbitrage: On the Role of Asymetric Information among Buyers," Economics Working Papers 624, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, revised Jan 2005. [Downloadable!]
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  6. Peter Cramton & Suzi Kerr, 2002. "Tradeable Carbon Permit Auctions: How and Why to Auction Not Grandfather," Papers of Peter Cramton 02eptc, University of Maryland, Department of Economics - Peter Cramton, revised 06 May 2002. [Downloadable!]
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  7. Rod Garratt & Thomas Troger, 2004. "Speculation in Standard Auctions with Resale," Microeconomics 0405005, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
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  8. Cornelli, Francesca & Felli, Leonardo, 2001. "How to Sell a (Bankrupt) Company?," CEPR Discussion Papers 2881, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  9. Marco Pagnozzi, 2004. "Bidding to Lose? Auctions with Resale," CSEF Working Papers 116, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Salerno, Italy. [Downloadable!]
  10. Giacomo Calzolari & Alessandro Pavan, 2003. "Monopoly with Resale," Working Papers 2003.20, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  11. Maasland, E. & Onderstal, S., 2002. "Optimal auctions with financial externalities," Discussion Paper 21, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
  12. Peter Cramton, 2002. "Spectrum Auctions," Papers of Peter Cramton 01hte, University of Maryland, Department of Economics - Peter Cramton, revised 16 Jul 2001. [Downloadable!]
  13. Lawrence M. Ausubel & Peter Cramton, 2004. "Vickrey Auctions with Reserve Pricing," Papers of Peter Cramton 99wpvic, University of Maryland, Department of Economics - Peter Cramton, revised 28 Jun 1999. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  14. Jackson, Matthew O. & Kremer, Ilan, 2002. "On the Concentration of Allocations and Comparisons of Auctions in Large Economies," Working Papers 1146, California Institute of Technology, Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences. [Downloadable!]
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  15. Charles Zheng, 2000. "An Optimal Auction When Resale Cannot Be Prohibited," Discussion Papers 1303, Northwestern University, Center for Mathematical Studies in Economics and Management Science. [Downloadable!]
  16. Florian Englmaier & Pablo Guillen & Loreto Llorente & Sander Onderstal & Rupert Sausgruber, 2006. "The Chopstick Auction: A Study of the Exposure Problem in Multi-Unit Auctions," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo GmbH. [Downloadable!]
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  17. Marco Pagnozzi, 2007. "Should Speculators Be Welcomed in Auctions?," CSEF Working Papers 176, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Salerno, Italy. [Downloadable!]
  18. Philippe Jehiel & Benny Moldovanu, 2001. "A note of revenue maximization and efficiency in multi-object auctions," Economics Bulletin, Economics Bulletin, vol. 3, pages 1-5. [Downloadable!]
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