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Fear of Losing in a Clock Auction

Abstract

We examine bidding behavior in a clock auction in which price is set by the lowest-accepted bid and provisional winners are reported each round (the LABpw auction). This format was used in the India 3G spectrum auction. In the standard theory, the auction performs poorly. In particular it yields lower revenues and is less efficient than the more standard clock auction with exit bids and highest-rejected-bid pricing (the HRB auction). However, the LABpw auction performs well in the lab, achieving higher revenues than the HRB auction. We show how fear of losing provides one motivation for the overbidding that causes higher revenues in the LABpw auction.

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File URL: http://www.cramton.umd.edu/papers2010-2014/cramton-filiz-ozbay-sujarittanonta-fear-of-losing.pdf
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Paper provided by University of Maryland, Department of Economics - Peter Cramton in its series Papers of Peter Cramton with number 12cfosf.

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Length: 20 pages
Date of creation: 2012
Date of revision: 2012
Publication status: Published in Review of Economic Design, 16:2-3, 119-134, 2012
Handle: RePEc:pcc:pccumd:12cfosf
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Economics Department, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-7211

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Web page: http://www.cramton.umd.edu

Keywords: Auctions; clock auctions; spectrum auctions; behavioral economics; market design;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • D44 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Auctions
  • C78 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Bargaining Theory; Matching Theory
  • L96 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Telecommunications

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  1. Botond Kőszegi & Matthew Rabin, 2006. "A Model of Reference-Dependent Preferences," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 121(4), pages 1133-1165.
  2. Richard Engelbrecht-Wiggans & Elena Katok, 2008. "Regret and Feedback Information in First-Price Sealed-Bid Auctions," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(4), pages 808-819, April.
  3. Peter Cramton & Emel Filiz-Ozbay & Erkut Ozbay & Pacharasut Sujarittanonta, 2012. "Discrete clock auctions: an experimental study," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 15(2), pages 309-322, June.
  4. Lawrence M. Ausubel & Peter Cramton & Emel Filiz-Ozbay & Nathaniel Higgins & Erkut Ozbay & Andrew Stocking, 2009. "Common-Value Auctions with Liquidity Needs: An Experimental Test of a Troubled Assets Reverse Auction," Papers of Peter Cramton 09cvawln, University of Maryland, Department of Economics - Peter Cramton, revised 2012.
  5. Peter Cramton & Pacharasut Sujarittanonta, 2010. "Pricing Rule in a Clock Auction," Decision Analysis, INFORMS, vol. 7(1), pages 40-57, March.
  6. Kagel, John H & Levin, Dan, 1993. "Independent Private Value Auctions: Bidder Behaviour in First-, Second- and Third-Price Auctions with Varying Numbers of Bidders," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 103(419), pages 868-879, July.
  7. Urs Fischbacher, 2007. "z-Tree: Zurich toolbox for ready-made economic experiments," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 10(2), pages 171-178, June.
  8. Lawrence M. Ausubel & Peter Cramton, 2004. "Auctioning Many Divisible Goods," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 2(2-3), pages 480-493, 04/05.
  9. Filiz-Ozbay, Emel & Ozbay, Erkut Y., 2010. "Anticipated loser regret in third price auctions," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 107(2), pages 217-219, May.
  10. Cox, James C & Smith, Vernon L & Walker, James M, 1988. "Theory and Individual Behavior of First-Price Auctions," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 61-99, March.
  11. Sugden, Robert, 2003. "Reference-dependent subjective expected utility," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 111(2), pages 172-191, August.
  12. Emel Filiz-Ozbay & Erkut Y. Ozbay, 2007. "Auctions with Anticipated Regret: Theory and Experiment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 97(4), pages 1407-1418, September.
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Cited by:

  1. Nicola Lacetera & Bradley J. Larsen & Devin G. Pope & Justin R. Sydnor, 2016. "Bid Takers or Market Makers? The Effect of Auctioneers on Auction Outcome," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 8(4), pages 195-229, November.
  2. Nicola Lacetera & Bradley J. Larsen & Devin G. Pope & Justin R. Sydnor, 2013. "Bid Takers or Market Makers? The Effect of Auctioneers on Auction Outcomes," NBER Working Papers 19731, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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