Computing and Learning Mean Field Equilibria with Scalar Interactions: Algorithms and Applications

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Abstract: Mean field equilibrium (MFE) has emerged as a computationally tractable solution concept for large dynamic games. However, computing MFE remains challenging due to nonlinearities and the absence of contraction properties, limiting its reliability for counterfactual analysis and comparative statics. This paper focuses on MFE in dynamic models where agents interact through a scalar function of the population distribution, referred to as the \textit{scalar interaction function}. Such models naturally arise in a wide range of applications in operations and economics, including quality ladder models, inventory competition, online marketplaces, and heterogeneous-agent macroeconomic models. The main contribution of this paper is to introduce iterative algorithms that leverage the scalar interaction structure and are guaranteed to converge to the MFE under mild assumptions. Unlike existing approaches, our algorithms do not rely on monotonicity or contraction properties, significantly broadening their applicability. Furthermore, we provide a model-free algorithm that learns the MFE by employing simulation and reinforcement learning techniques such as Q-learning and policy gradient methods without requiring prior knowledge of payoff or transition functions. We establish finite-time performance bounds for this algorithm under technical Lipschitz continuity assumptions. We apply our algorithms to classic models of dynamic competition, such as capacity competition, and to competitive models motivated by online marketplaces, including ridesharing, dynamic reputation, and inventory competition, as well as to social learning models. Using our algorithms, we derive reliable comparative statics results that illustrate how key market parameters influence equilibrium outcomes in these stylized models, providing insights that could inform the design of competitive systems in these contexts.

Date: 2025-02
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