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Robust mechanisms for risk-averse sellers

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  • Sundararajan, Mukund
  • Yan, Qiqi

Abstract

Most literature on optimal auctions focuses on optimizing for a risk-neutral seller. We consider risk-averse sellers in a setting of multi-unit auctions with unit-demand bidders. We seek utility-oblivious mechanisms that do not know about the seller's utility function, while still achieving constant factor approximations to the expected utility of the optimal mechanism tailored to the utility function. Our main results are natural hedging-based mechanisms that give such utility-oblivious approximations. Along the way we show that the optimal auction theory of Myerson (1981) extends to risk-averse sellers in the single-unit case, but not in the multi-unit case.

Suggested Citation

  • Sundararajan, Mukund & Yan, Qiqi, 2020. "Robust mechanisms for risk-averse sellers," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 644-658.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:gamebe:v:124:y:2020:i:c:p:644-658
    DOI: 10.1016/j.geb.2015.01.005
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bulow, Jeremy & Klemperer, Paul, 1996. "Auctions versus Negotiations," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(1), pages 180-194, March.
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    3. Shuchi Chawla & Jason Hartline & David Malec & Balasubramanian Sivan, 2010. "Sequential Posted Pricing and Multi-parameter Mechanism Design," Discussion Papers 1486, Northwestern University, Center for Mathematical Studies in Economics and Management Science.
    4. Maskin, Eric S & Riley, John G, 1984. "Optimal Auctions with Risk Averse Buyers," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(6), pages 1473-1518, November.
    5. Eso, Peter & Futo, Gabor, 1999. "Auction design with a risk averse seller," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 71-74, October.
    6. Rothschild, Michael & Stiglitz, Joseph E., 1970. "Increasing risk: I. A definition," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 2(3), pages 225-243, September.
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    8. Rothschild, Michael & Stiglitz, Joseph E., 1971. "Increasing risk II: Its economic consequences," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 3(1), pages 66-84, March.
    9. Roger B. Myerson, 1981. "Optimal Auction Design," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 6(1), pages 58-73, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Vasserman, Shoshana & Watt, Mitchell, 2021. "Risk aversion and auction design: Theoretical and empirical evidence," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Risk-aversion; Utility; Optimal auctions; Revenue maximization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design

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