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Menu Auctions and Influence Games with Private Information

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  • Martimort, David
  • Stole, Lars

Abstract

We study games in which multiple principals influence the choice of a privately-informed agent by offering action-contingent payments. We characterize the equilibrium allocation set as the maximizers of an endogenous aggregate virtual-surplus program. The aggregate maximand for every equilibrium includes an information-rent margin which captures the confluence of the principals’ rent-extraction motives. We illustrate the economic implications of this novel margin in two applications: a public goods game in which players incentivize a common public good supplier, and a lobbying game between conflicting interest groups who offer contributions to influence a common political decision-maker.

Suggested Citation

  • Martimort, David & Stole, Lars, 2015. "Menu Auctions and Influence Games with Private Information," MPRA Paper 62388, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:62388
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Martimort, David, 2019. ""When Olson Meets Dahl": From Inefficient Groups Formation to Inefficient Policy-Making," CEPR Discussion Papers 13843, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Martimort, David & Semenov, Aggey & Stole, Lars A., 2018. "A complete characterization of equilibria in an intrinsic common agency screening game," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 13(3), September.
    3. Didier Laussel & Joana Resende, 2020. "Complementary Monopolies with asymmetric information," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 70(4), pages 943-981, November.
    4. Martimort, David & Semenov, Aggey & Stole, Lars, 2015. "A Complete Characterization of Equilibria in Two-type Common Agency Screening Games," MPRA Paper 66620, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. David Martimort & Aggey Semenov & Lars Stole, 2016. "A Complete Characterization of Equilibria in Common Agency Screening Games," Working Papers 1618E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    6. Jean Tirole, 2016. "From Bottom of the Barrel to Cream of the Crop: Sequential Screening With Positive Selection," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 84, pages 1291-1343, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Menu auctions; influence games; common agency; screening contracts; public goods games; lobbying games;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design

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