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Essays in Sequential Games

Matta, Benjamin (2024) Essays in Sequential Games. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

In my dissertation, I explore the intricate dynamics of decision-making in three distinct contexts: protest participation, sequential games, and delegation problems. Firstly, I develop a framework to understand why individuals engage in protests despite the costs of participation, minimal individual impact, and non-exclusive benefits. This model incorporates stochastic opportunities for participation, which determine whose decisions are crucial to the protest's success. Secondly, I introduce the concept of simplification games to address the inherent human preference for simplicity over optimal strategies in sequential games. This new game type considers players' preferences for both outcomes and strategy complexity, providing a basis for rationalizing empirical mistakes. Finally, in collaboration with a coauthor, I examine a delegation problem in which an agent holds private knowledge about the suitability of a multidimensional action. We investigate the range of outcomes the principal can achieve when there exists one dimension where their ideal actions significantly diverge. We show that there exists a mechanism through which the implemented action in the dimension with pronounced disagreement increasingly aligns with the principal's ideal uninformed action as the extent of disagreement intensifies. In every other dimension, the principal's payoff nears the level she would attain if she had access to all the information pertinent to her actions in those dimensions.


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Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Matta, Benjaminbim10@pitt.edubim10
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee Chairvan Weelden, Richardrmv22@pitt.edu
Committee MemberRigotti, Lucaluca@pitt.edu
Committee MemberWilson, Alistairalistair@pitt.edu
Committee MemberMoroni, Sofiasmoroni@princeton.edu
Committee MemberZiegler, Gabrielziegler@ed.ac.uk
Date: 27 August 2024
Date Type: Publication
Defense Date: 6 April 2024
Approval Date: 27 August 2024
Submission Date: 23 July 2024
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Number of Pages: 99
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Economics
Degree: PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Type: Doctoral Dissertation
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: economic theory, behavioral economics, and political economy.
Date Deposited: 27 Aug 2024 13:29
Last Modified: 27 Aug 2024 13:29
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/46732

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