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The singleton core in the college admissions problem and its application to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP)

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  • Ma, Jinpeng

Abstract

We show that in the marriage problem the student-optimal algorithm may in fact generate an equilibrium outcome that is college-optimal and student-pessimal in terms of the true preferences even though it is student-optimal and college-pessimal in terms of the submitted preferences. In the college admissions problem, the student-optimal algorithm generates either a matching that is not stable for the true preferences or a matching that is college-optimal and student-pessimal in terms of the true preferences. Thus, our results show that, in the absence of certain match variations, the newly designed student-optimal algorithm adopted by the NRMP since 1998 either may be bias in favor of hospitals in terms of the true preferences or fails to produce a true stable matching. We also discuss when the core is large and when the core is a singleton at a Nash equilibrium.

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  • Ma, Jinpeng, 2010. "The singleton core in the college admissions problem and its application to the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP)," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 150-164, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:gamebe:v:69:y:2010:i:1:p:150-164
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. David Pérez-Castrillo & Marilda Sotomayor, 2017. "The outcome of competitive equilibrium rules in buyer–seller markets when the agents play strategically," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 64(1), pages 99-119, June.
    3. Itai Ashlagi & Flip Klijn, 2012. "Manipulability in matching markets: conflict and coincidence of interests," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 39(1), pages 23-33, June.
    4. Parag A. Pathak & Tayfun Sönmez, 2013. "School Admissions Reform in Chicago and England: Comparing Mechanisms by Their Vulnerability to Manipulation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(1), pages 80-106, February.
    5. Alcalde, José, 2018. "Beyond the Spanish MIR with consent: (Hidden) cooperation and coordination in matching," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 32-49.
    6. Tayfun Sonmez & Parag Pathak (MIT), 2011. "Admissions Reform at Chicago's Selective High Schools: Comparing Mechanisms by their Vulnerability to Manipulation," EcoMod2011 2954, EcoMod.
    7. Jaramillo, Paula & Kayı, Çaǧatay & Klijn, Flip, 2013. "Equilibria under deferred acceptance: Dropping strategies, filled positions, and welfare," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 693-701.
    8. David Pérez-Castrillo & Marilda Sotomayor, 2017. "On the manipulability of competitive equilibrium rules in many-to-many buyer–seller markets," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 46(4), pages 1137-1161, November.
    9. Assaf Romm, 2014. "Implications of capacity reduction and entry in many-to-one stable matching," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 43(4), pages 851-875, December.
    10. Tello Benjamín, 2017. "Stability of Equilibrium Outcomes under Deferred Acceptance: Acyclicity and Dropping Strategies," The B.E. Journal of Theoretical Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 17(2), pages 1-9, June.
    11. Yasushi Kawase & Keisuke Bando, 2021. "Subgame perfect equilibria under the deferred acceptance algorithm," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 50(2), pages 503-546, June.

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