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The best-shot all-pay (group) auction with complete information

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  • Stefano Barbieri
  • David Malueg
  • Iryna Topolyan

Abstract

We analyze an all-pay group contest in which individual members’ efforts are aggregated via the best-shot technology and the prize is a public good for the winning group. The interplay of within-group free-riding and across-group competition allows for a wide variety of equilibria, according to how well groups overcome internal free-riding. In contrast with the existing literature, we derive equilibria of a symmetric model in which multiple agents per group are active. Our findings differ qualitatively from those of the individualistic all-pay auction: rents are not necessarily dissipated in equilibrium, total expected efforts vary across equilibria, and participation is expected to be greater. Moreover, equilibria with greater symmetry of behavior within a group are shown to have more “wasted” effort but also greater payoffs as overall efforts are lower. In contrast to standard economic intuition, free-riding can be beneficial for players as it reduces competition among groups. Examples of asymmetric group contests are also studied. Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Stefano Barbieri & David Malueg & Iryna Topolyan, 2014. "The best-shot all-pay (group) auction with complete information," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 57(3), pages 603-640, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joecth:v:57:y:2014:i:3:p:603-640
    DOI: 10.1007/s00199-014-0847-6
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    All-pay auction; Group contest; Free-riding; Volunteer’s dilemma; Group-size paradox; Private provision of public goods; C72; D62; D72; H41;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods

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