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Strategic Experimentation: The Case of the Poisson Bandits

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  • Martin Cripps

    (University of Warwick)

  • Godfrey Keller

    (London School of Economics)

  • Sven Rady

    (University of Munich)

Abstract

This paper studies a game of strategic experimentation in which the players learn from the experiments of others as well as their own. We first establish the efficient benchmark where the players co-ordinate in order to maximise joint expected payoffs, and then show that, because of free-riding, the strategic problem leads to inefficiently low levels of experimentation in any equilibrium when the players use stationary Markovian strategies. Efficiency can be approximately retrieved provided that the players adopt strategies which slow down the rate at which information is acquired; this is achieved by their taking periodic breaks from experimenting, which get progressively longer. In the public information case (actions and experimental outcomes are both observable), we exhibit a class of non-stationary equilibria in which the $\varepsilon$-efficient amount of experimentation is performed, but only in infinite time. In the private information case (only actions are observable, not outcomes), the breaks have two additional effects: not only do they enable the players to finesse the inference problem, but also they serve to signal their experimental outcome to the other player. We describe an equilibrium with similar non-stationary strategies in which the $\varepsilon$-efficient amount of experimentation is again performed in infinite time, but with a faster rate of information acquisition. The equilibrium rate of information acquisition is slower in the former case because the short-run temptation to free-ride on information acquisition is greater when information is public.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Cripps & Godfrey Keller & Sven Rady, 2000. "Strategic Experimentation: The Case of the Poisson Bandits," Econometric Society World Congress 2000 Contributed Papers 0878, Econometric Society.
  • Handle: RePEc:ecm:wc2000:0878
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Edward Cartwright & Myrna Wooders, 2009. "On equilibrium in pure strategies in games with many players," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 38(1), pages 137-153, March.
    2. Lukach, R. & Plasmans, J.E.J., 2002. "Measuring Knowledge Spillovers using Patent Citations : Evidence from the Belgian Firm's Data," Other publications TiSEM d78bf59a-e0ff-4451-86b9-1, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    3. Dinah Rosenberg & Eilon Solan & Nicolas Vieille, 2004. "Timing Games with Informational Externalities," Levine's Working Paper Archive 122247000000000704, David K. Levine.
    4. Bøg, Martin, 2006. "Whom to Observe?," MPRA Paper 8773, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 14 May 2008.
    5. Dinah Rosenberg & Eilon Solan & Nicolas Vieille, 2007. "Social Learning in One-Arm Bandit Problems," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 75(6), pages 1591-1611, November.
    6. Krähmer, Daniel, 2003. "Learning and self-confidence in contests [Lernen und Selbstvertrauen in Wettkämpfen]," Discussion Papers, Research Unit: Market Processes and Governance SP II 2003-10, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    7. Klaus Walde, 2001. "Capital accumulation in a model of growth and creative destruction," Discussion Paper / Institute for Empirical Macroeconomics 139, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

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