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Learning efficient Nash equilibria in distributed systems

Bary S.R. Pradelski and H. Young

Games and Economic Behavior, 2012, vol. 75, issue 2, 882-897

Abstract: An individualʼs learning rule is completely uncoupled if it does not depend directly on the actions or payoffs of anyone else. We propose a variant of log linear learning that is completely uncoupled and that selects an efficient (welfare-maximizing) pure Nash equilibrium in all generic n-person games that possess at least one pure Nash equilibrium. In games that do not have such an equilibrium, there is a simple formula that expresses the long-run probability of the various disequilibrium states in terms of two factors: (i) the sum of payoffs over all agents, and (ii) the maximum payoff gain that results from a unilateral deviation by some agent. This welfare/stability trade-off criterion provides a novel framework for analyzing the selection of disequilibrium as well as equilibrium states in n-person games.

Keywords: Stochastic stability; Completely uncoupled learning; Equilibrium selection; Distributed control (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C72 C73 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (27)

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Working Paper: Learning Efficient Nash Equilibria in Distributed Systems (2010) Downloads
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:gamebe:v:75:y:2012:i:2:p:882-897

DOI: 10.1016/j.geb.2012.02.017

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