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Against All Odds: Tentative Steps toward Efficient Information Sharing in Groups

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  • Darius Schlangenotto

    (Business Information Systems Department, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Paderborn University, D-33098 Paderborn, Germany)

  • Wendelin Schnedler

    (Management Department, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Paderborn University, Warburger Straße 100, D-33098 Paderborn, Germany
    Centre for Market and Public Organization, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1QU, UK
    Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Schaumburg-Lippe-Straße 5–9, 53113 Bonn, Germany)

  • Radovan Vadovič

    (Economics Department, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada)

Abstract

When groups face difficult problems, the voices of experts may be lost in the noise of others’ contributions. We present results from a “naturally noisy” setting, a large first-year undergraduate class, in which the expert’s voice was “lost” to such a degree that bringing forward even more inferior information was optimal. A single individual had little chance to improve the outcome and coordinating with the whole group was impossible. In this setting, we examined the change in behavior before and after people could talk to their neighbors. We found that the number of people who reduced noise by holding back their information strongly and significantly increased.

Suggested Citation

  • Darius Schlangenotto & Wendelin Schnedler & Radovan Vadovič, 2020. "Against All Odds: Tentative Steps toward Efficient Information Sharing in Groups," Games, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-24, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jgames:v:11:y:2020:i:3:p:31-:d:396119
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    Cited by:

    1. Caleb A. Cox & Brock Stoddard, 2021. "Experiments on Communication in Games: Introduction to the Special Issue," Games, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-2, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    information aggregation; coordination; communication; swing voter’s curse;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D71 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • 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
    • C99 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Other

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