Concavity of order statistics in sample size: Implications for auction design

Mitchell Watt

Economics Letters, 2025, vol. 256, issue C

Abstract: I show that the expected kth-highest order statistic from a monotone hazard rate distribution is concave in sample size. In independent private value auctions with convex marketing costs, this ensures that the seller’s objective is concave, yielding a finite optimum.

Keywords: Order statistics; Concavity; Auctions; Marketing costs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C60 D44 D82 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:256:y:2025:i:c:s0165176525004653

DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2025.112628

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