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Strategic complements in two stage, 2x2 games

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  • Feng, Yue
  • Sabarwal, Tarun

Abstract

Strategic complements are well understood for normal form games, but less so for extensive form games. There is some evidence that extensive form games with strategic complementarities are a very restrictive class of games (Echenique (2004)). We study necessary and sufficient conditions for strategic complements (defined as increasing best responses) in two stage, 2x2 games. We find that the restrictiveness imposed by quasisupermodularity and single crossing property is particularly severe, in the sense that the set of games in which payoffs satisfy these conditions has measure zero. Payoffs with these conditions require the player to be indifferent between their actions in two of the four subgames in stage two, eliminating any strategic role for their actions in these two subgames. In contrast, the set of games that exhibit strategic complements (increasing best responses) has infinite measure. This enlarges the scope of strategic complements in two stage, 2x2 games (and provides a basis for possibly greater scope in more general games). The set of subgame perfect Nash equilibria in the larger class of games continues to remain a nonempty, complete lattice. The results are easy to apply, and are robust to including dual payoff conditions and adding a third player. Examples with several motivations are included.

Suggested Citation

  • Feng, Yue & Sabarwal, Tarun, 2016. "Strategic complements in two stage, 2x2 games," MPRA Paper 99483, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 05 Apr 2020.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:99483
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tarun Sabarwal & Hoa VuXuan, 2018. "Two Stage 2 × 2 Games With Strategic Substitutes and Strategic Heterogeneity," WORKING PAPERS SERIES IN THEORETICAL AND APPLIED ECONOMICS 201902, University of Kansas, Department of Economics.
    2. Roy, Sunanda & Sabarwal, Tarun, 2010. "Monotone comparative statics for games with strategic substitutes," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(5), pages 793-806, September.
    3. Milgrom, Paul & Shannon, Chris, 1994. "Monotone Comparative Statics," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 62(1), pages 157-180, January.
    4. Curtat, Laurent O., 1996. "Markov Equilibria of Stochastic Games with Complementarities," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 177-199, December.
    5. Xavier Vives, 2009. "Strategic complementarity in multi-stage games," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 40(1), pages 151-171, July.
    6. Walker, Mark & Wooders, John & Amir, Rabah, 2011. "Equilibrium play in matches: Binary Markov games," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 71(2), pages 487-502, March.
    7. Echenique, Federico, 2004. "Extensive-form games and strategic complementarities," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 348-364, February.
    8. Amir, Rabah, 1996. "Continuous Stochastic Games of Capital Accumulation with Convex Transitions," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 111-131, August.
    9. Balbus, Łukasz & Reffett, Kevin & Woźny, Łukasz, 2014. "A constructive study of Markov equilibria in stochastic games with strategic complementarities," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 815-840.
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    Cited by:

    1. Tarun Sabarwal & Hoa VuXuan, 2018. "Two Stage 2 × 2 Games With Strategic Substitutes and Strategic Heterogeneity," WORKING PAPERS SERIES IN THEORETICAL AND APPLIED ECONOMICS 201902, University of Kansas, Department of Economics.
    2. Tarun Sabarwal, 2023. "Universal Theory of Equilibrium in Models with Complementarities," WORKING PAPERS SERIES IN THEORETICAL AND APPLIED ECONOMICS 202312, University of Kansas, Department of Economics, revised Nov 2023.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Strategic complements; extensive form game; two stage game; lattice;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C60 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - General
    • C70 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - General

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