Mechanism Design: A Linear Programming Approach

185 Pages·2011·0.784 MB·English

by  Rakesh V. Vohra

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Mechanism Design
Mechanism design is an analytical framework for thinking clearly and carefully
aboutexactlywhatagiveninstitutioncanachievewhentheinformationnecessary
tomakedecisionsisdispersedandprivatelyheld.Thisbookprovidesanaccount
oftheunderlyingmathematicsofmechanismdesignbasedonlinearprogramming.
Threeadvantagescharacterizetheapproach.Thefirstissimplicity:argumentsbased
onlinearprogrammingarebothelementaryandtransparent.Thesecondisunity:
themachineryoflinearprogrammingprovidesawaytounifyresultsfromdisparate
areasofmechanismdesign.Thethirdisreach:thetechniqueofferstheabilityto
solveproblemsthatappeartobebeyondthereachoftraditionalmethods.Noclaim
is made that the approach advocated should supplant traditional mathematical
machinery. Rather, the approach represents an addition to the tools of the eco-
nomictheoristwhoproposestounderstandeconomicphenomenathroughthelens
ofmechanismdesign.
RakeshV.VohraistheJohnL.andHelenKelloggProfessorofManagerialEco-
nomicsandDecisionSciencesattheKelloggSchoolofManagement,Northwest-
ernUniversity,whereheisalsoDirectoroftheCenterforMathematicalStudiesin
EconomicsandManagementScience.HepreviouslytaughtattheFisherSchoolof
Business,OhioStateUniversity,andistheauthorofAdvancedMathematicalEco-
nomics(2005).ProfessorVohrahasalsocompletedamanuscriptontheprinciples
of pricing with Lakshman Krishnamurthi, Professor of Marketing at the Kellogg
School.ProfessorVohrareceivedhisdoctorateinmathematicsfromtheUniversity
ofMaryland.

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Continuedonpagefollowingtheindex

Mechanism Design
A Linear Programming Approach
Rakesh V. Vohra
NorthwesternUniversity,Illinois
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Firstpublished2011
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
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Vohra,RakeshV.
Mechanismdesign:alinearprogrammingapproach/RakeshV.Vohra.
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Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-1-107-00436-8(hardback)–ISBN978-0-521-17946-1(paperback)
1. Decision making – Linear programming. 2. Organizational behavior – Mathematical
models. 3.Machinetheory. I.Title.
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