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Axiomatic Equilibrium Selection For Generic Two-Player Games

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Listed author(s):
  • SRIHARI GOVINDAN
  • ROBERT WILSON

Abstract

We apply three axioms adapted from decision theory to refinements of the Nash equilibria of games with perfect recall that select connected closed sub- sets called solutions. No player uses a weakly dominated strategy in an equilibrium in a solution. Each solution contains a quasi-perfect equilibrium and thus a sequential equilibrium in strategies that provide conditionally admissible optimal continuations from information sets. A refinement is immune to embedding a game in a larger game with additional players provided the original players' strategies and payoffs are preserved, i.e. solutions of a game are the same as those induced by the solutions of any larger game in which it is embedded. For games with two players and generic payoffs, we prove that these axioms characterize each solution as an essential component of equilibria in undominated strategies, and thus a stable set as defined by Mertens (1989).

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Paper provided by David K. Levine in its series Levine's Working Paper Archive with number 661465000000000203.

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Date of creation: 06 Oct 2010
Handle: RePEc:cla:levarc:661465000000000203
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Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games

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  1. Srihari Govindan & Robert Wilson, 2009. "Axiomatic Theory of Equilibrium Selection for Games with Two Players, Perfect Information, and Generic Payoffs," Levine's Working Paper Archive 814577000000000125, David K. Levine.
  2. Govindan, Srihari & Wilson, Robert, 2001. "Direct Proofs of Generic Finiteness of Nash Equilibrium Outcomes," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 69(3), pages 765-769, May.
  3. Mertens, Jean-Francois, 1992. "The small worlds axiom for stable equilibria," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 4(4), pages 553-564, October.
  4. Jean-François Mertens, 1989. "Stable Equilibria---A Reformulation," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 14(4), pages 575-625, November.
  5. Mailath, George J & Samuelson, Larry & Swinkels, Jeroen M, 1993. "Extensive Form Reasoning in Normal Form Games," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 61(2), pages 273-302, March.
  6. Srihari Govindan & Robert Wilson, 2009. "On Forward Induction," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 77(1), pages 1-28, 01.
  7. Van Damme, Eric, 2002. "Strategic equilibrium," Handbook of Game Theory with Economic Applications,in: R.J. Aumann & S. Hart (ed.), Handbook of Game Theory with Economic Applications, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 41, pages 1521-1596 Elsevier.
  8. Philip J. Reny, 1992. "Rationality in Extensive-Form Games," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 6(4), pages 103-118, Fall.
  9. Srihari Govindan & Robert Wilson, 2008. "Metastable Equilibria," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 33(4), pages 787-820, November.
  10. van Damme, E.E.C., 1984. "A relation between perfect equilibria in extensive form games and proper equilibria in normal form games," Other publications TiSEM 3734d89e-fd5c-4c80-a230-5, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
  11. Srihari Govindan & Tilman Klumpp, 2003. "Perfect equilibrium and lexicographic beliefs," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 31(2), pages 229-243.
  12. Srihari Govindan & Jean-François Mertens, 2004. "An equivalent definition of stable Equilibria," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 32(3), pages 339-357, 06.
  13. Kohlberg, Elon & Mertens, Jean-Francois, 1986. "On the Strategic Stability of Equilibria," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 54(5), pages 1003-1037, September.
  14. Reny Philip J., 1993. "Common Belief and the Theory of Games with Perfect Information," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 59(2), pages 257-274, April.
  15. Srihari Govindan & Robert Wilson, 2002. "Maximal stable sets of two-player games," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 30(4), pages 557-566.
  16. Wilson, Robert B. & Govindan, Srihari, 2006. "Sufficient conditions for stable equilibria," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 1(2), pages 167-206, June.
  17. Reny, Philip J, 1992. "Backward Induction, Normal Form Perfection and Explicable Equilibria," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 60(3), pages 627-649, May.
  18. Koller, Daphne & Megiddo, Nimrod, 1992. "The complexity of two-person zero-sum games in extensive form," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 4(4), pages 528-552, October.
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Cited by:

  1. Carlos Pimienta & Jianfei Shen, 2014. "On the equivalence between (quasi-)perfect and sequential equilibria," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 43(2), pages 395-402, May.
  2. Man, Priscilla T.Y., 2012. "Forward induction equilibrium," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 75(1), pages 265-276.
  3. Sun, Lan, 2016. "Hypothesis testing equilibrium in signaling games," Center for Mathematical Economics Working Papers 557, Center for Mathematical Economics, Bielefeld University.
  4. Yildiz, Muhamet, 2015. "Invariance to representation of information," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 142-156.

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