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Incomplete Information and Rent Dissipation in Deterministic Contests

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  • Rene Kirkegaard

    (Department of Economics,University of Guelph)

Abstract

In a deterministic contest or all-pay auction, all rents are dissipated when information is complete and contestants are identical. As one contestant becomes "stronger", that is, values the prize more, total expenditures are known to decrease monotonically. Thus, asymmetry among contestants reduces competition and rent dissipation. Recently, this result has been shown to hold for other, non-deterministic, contest success functions as well, thereby suggesting a certain robustness. In this paper, however, the complete information assumption is shown to be crucial. With incomplete information -- regardless of how little -- total expenditures in a deterministic two-player contest increase when one contestant becomes marginally stronger, starting from a symmetric contest. In fact, both contestants expend resources more aggressively; with complete information, neither of them do so.

Suggested Citation

  • Rene Kirkegaard, 2010. "Incomplete Information and Rent Dissipation in Deterministic Contests," Working Papers 1012, University of Guelph, Department of Economics and Finance.
    • Handle: RePEc:gue:guelph:2010-12.
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    Cited by:

    1. Murray, Cameron K., 2012. "Markets in political influence: rent-seeking, networks and groups," MPRA Paper 42070, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Johan N. M. Lagerlöf, 2020. "Hybrid All-Pay and Winner-Pay Contests," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 12(4), pages 144-169, November.
    3. Cameron K Murray, 2014. "Resolving rent-seeking puzzles: A model of political influence via social signals," Discussion Papers Series 528, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    4. Kiho Yoon, 2012. "On asymmetry in all-pay auctions," Discussion Paper Series 1208, Institute of Economic Research, Korea University.
    5. Barbieri, Stefano & Kovenock, Dan & Malueg, David A. & Topolyan, Iryna, 2019. "Group contests with private information and the “Weakest Link”," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 382-411.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • D44 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Auctions
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design

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