A Measure of Complexity for Strategy-Proof Mechanisms
We propose a measure of strategic complexity for strategy-proof mechanisms in terms of the contingent reasoning they require agents to engage in to recognize their dominant strategy. Our rankings are consistent with the coarser ones implied by the solution concepts of (strong) obvious strategy-proofness (Li, 2017b; Pycia and Troyan, 2023b). The added flexibility of our approach allows a designer to balance a mechanism’s implicity with other objectives: We characterize the Ausubel (2004) auction as the simplest way to implement the VCG outcome in multi-unit allocation problems with transfers, and provide novel rankings of mechanisms that implement stable outcomes in matching problems.
Date: 21 November 2025, 14:15
Venue: Manor Road Building, Manor Road OX1 3UQ
Venue Details: Seminar Room G
Speaker: Lea Nagel (Harvard University)
Organising department: Department of Economics
Part of: Nuffield Economic Theory Seminar
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Members of the University only
Editor: Edward Valenzano