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The Computational Complexity of Rationalizing Behavior

Author Info

  • Apesteguia, Jose
  • Ballester, Miguel A.

Abstract

We study the computational complexity of rationalizing choice behavior. We do so by analyzing two polar cases, and a number of intermediate ones. In our most structured case, that is where choice behavior is defined in universal choice domains and satisfies the "weak axiom of revealed preference," finding the complete preorder rationalizing choice behavior is a simple matter. In the polar case, where no restriction whatsoever is imposed, either on choice behavior or on choice domain, finding a collection of complete preorders that rationalizes behavior turns out to be intractable. We also show that the task of finding the rationalizing complete preorders is equivalent to a graph problem. This allows the search for existing algorithms in the graph theory literature, for the rationalization of choice.

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Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Journal of Mathematical Economics.

Volume (Year): 46 (2010)
Issue (Month): 3 (May)
Pages: 356-363

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Handle: RePEc:eee:mateco:v:46:y:2010:i:3:p:356-363
Contact details of provider: Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jmateco

Keywords: Rationalization Computational complexity NP-complete Arbitrary choice domains;

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Cited by:

  1. Smeulders, Bart & Cherchye, Laurens & De Rock, Bram & Spieksma, Frits C.R. & Talla Nobibon, Fabrice, 2015. "Complexity results for the weak axiom of revealed preference for collective consumption models," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 82-91.
  2. Salvador Barberà & Alejandro Neme, 2015. "Ordinal Relative Satisficing Behavior: Theory and Experiments," Working Papers 790, Barcelona Graduate School of Economics.
  3. Demuynck, Thomas, 2011. "The computational complexity of rationalizing boundedly rational choice behavior," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(4-5), pages 425-433.
  4. Ronen Gradwohl & Eran Shmaya, 2013. "Tractable Falsifiability," Discussion Papers 1564, Northwestern University, Center for Mathematical Studies in Economics and Management Science.
  5. Thomas Demuynck, 2014. "The computational complexity of rationalizing Pareto optimal choice behavior," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 42(3), pages 529-549, March.
  6. García-Sanz, María D. & Alcantud, José Carlos R., 2015. "Sequential rationalization of multivalued choice," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 29-33.
  7. Mandler, Michael, 2015. "Rational agents are the quickest," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 206-233.

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