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Social Welfare in Search Games with Asymmetric Information

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  • Bavly, Gilad
  • Heller, Yuval
  • Schreiber, Amnon

Abstract

We consider games in which players search for a hidden prize, and they have asymmetric information about the prize's location. We study the social payoff in equilibria of these games. We present sufficient conditions for the existence of an equilibrium that yields the first-best payoff (i.e., the highest social payoff under any strategy profile), and we characterize the first-best payoff. The results have interesting implications for innovation contests and R&D races.

Suggested Citation

  • Bavly, Gilad & Heller, Yuval & Schreiber, Amnon, 2020. "Social Welfare in Search Games with Asymmetric Information," MPRA Paper 98838, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:98838
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Igor Letina & Armin Schmutzler & Regina Seibel, 2020. "Killer acquisitions and beyond: policy effects on innovation strategies," ECON - Working Papers 358, Department of Economics - University of Zurich, revised Jul 2023.
    2. Philipp Brunner & Igor Letina & Armin Schmutzler, 2022. "Research joint ventures: the role of financial constraints," ECON - Working Papers 416, Department of Economics - University of Zurich, revised Jul 2023.
    3. Matros, Alexander & Ponomareva, Natalia & Smirnov, Vladimir & Wait, Andrew, 2022. "Search without looking," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    search duplication; decentralized research; social welfare; incomplete information;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • 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

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