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Information Design in Allocation with Costly Verification

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  • Yi-Chun Chen
  • Gaoji Hu
  • Xiangqian Yang

Abstract

A principal who values an object allocates it to one or more agents. Agents learn private information (signals) from an information designer about the allocation payoff to the principal. Monetary transfer is not available but the principal can costly verify agents' private signals. The information designer can influence the agents' signal distributions, based upon which the principal maximizes the allocation surplus. An agent's utility is simply the probability of obtaining the good. With a single agent, we characterize (i) the agent-optimal information, (ii) the principal-worst information, and (iii) the principal-optimal information. Even though the objectives of the principal and the agent are not directly comparable, we find that any agent-optimal information is principal-worst. Moreover, there exists a robust mechanism that achieves the principal's payoff under (ii), which is therefore an optimal robust mechanism. Many of our results extend to the multiple-agent case; if not, we provide counterexamples.

Suggested Citation

  • Yi-Chun Chen & Gaoji Hu & Xiangqian Yang, 2022. "Information Design in Allocation with Costly Verification," Papers 2210.16001, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2210.16001
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    File URL: http://arxiv.org/pdf/2210.16001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dirk Bergemann & Benjamin Brooks & Stephen Morris, 2017. "First‐Price Auctions With General Information Structures: Implications for Bidding and Revenue," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 85, pages 107-143, January.
    2. Tymofiy Mylovanov & Andriy Zapechelnyuk, 2017. "Optimal Allocation with Ex Post Verification and Limited Penalties," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(9), pages 2666-2694, September.
    3. Dilip Mookherjee & Ivan Png, 1989. "Optimal Auditing, Insurance, and Redistribution," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 104(2), pages 399-415.
    4. Benjamin Brooks & Songzi Du, 2021. "Optimal Auction Design With Common Values: An Informationally Robust Approach," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 89(3), pages 1313-1360, May.
    5. Townsend, Robert M., 1979. "Optimal contracts and competitive markets with costly state verification," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 265-293, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Deniz Kattwinkel & Justus Preusser, 2025. "The Division of Surplus and the Burden of Proof," Papers 2501.14686, arXiv.org, revised Oct 2025.
    2. Halil .Ibrahim Bayrak & c{C}au{g}{i}l Koc{c}yiu{g}it & Daniel Kuhn & Mustafa c{C}elebi P{i}nar, 2022. "Distributionally Robust Optimal Allocation with Costly Verification," Papers 2211.15122, arXiv.org, revised Jun 2024.
    3. Gunhaeng Lee, 2023. "Tailored recommendations on a matching platform," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 61(4), pages 883-917, November.

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