Skip to main content
Log in

On the origin of convention: Evidence from symmetric bargaining games

  • Published:
International Journal of Game Theory Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We use a dynamical systems approach to model the origin of bargaining conventions and report the results of a symmetric bargaining game experiment. Our experiment also provides evidence on the psychological salience of symmetry and efficiency. The observed behavior in the experiment was systematic, replicable, and roughly consistent with the dynamical systems approach. For instance, we do observe unequal-division conventions emerging in communities of symmetrically endowed subjects.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bardhan PK (1984) Land, labor, and rural poverty: Essays in development economics. New York, Columbia University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernheim BD (1984) Rationalizable strategic behavior. Econometrica 52(4): 1007–1028

    Google Scholar 

  • Binmore K, Morgan P, Shaked A, Sutton J (1991) Do people exploit their bargaining power? An experimental study. Games and Economic Behavior 3(3): 295–322

    Google Scholar 

  • Binmore K, Proulx C, Swiezbinski J (1992) Focal points and bargaining. Working paper

  • Cooper RW, DeJong DV, Forsythe R, Ross TW (1991) Forward induction in the battle-of-the-sexes game: Working paper

  • Crawford JP (1989) Learning and mixed-strategy equilibria in evolutionary games. Journal of Theoretical Biology 140: 537–550

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman D (1991) Evolutionary games in economics. Econometrica 59(3): 637–666

    Google Scholar 

  • Harsanyi JC, Selten R (1988) A general theory of equilibrium selection in games, Cambridge MA, MIT Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofbauer J, Sigmund K (1988) The theory of evolution and dynamical systems: Mathematical aspects of selection. Cambridge UK, Cambridge University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman E, Spitzer M (1985) Entitlements, rights, and fairness: An experimental examination of subjects' concepts of distributive justice. Journal of Legal Studies 14: 259–297

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson EJ, Camerer C, Sen S, Rymon T (1991) Behavior and cognition in sequential bargaining. Working paper

  • Lewis D (1969) Convention: A philosophical study. Cambridge MA, Harward University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Maeder R (1990) Programming in mathematica. Redwood City, Addison-Wesley

    Google Scholar 

  • Milgrom P, Roberts J (1991) Adaptive and sophisticated learning in normal form games. Games and Economic Behavior 3(1): 82–101

    Google Scholar 

  • Ochs J (1990) The coordination problem in decentralized markets: An experiment. Quarterly Journal of Economics 105(2): 545–561

    Google Scholar 

  • Ochs J, Roth AE (1989) An experimental study of sequential bargaining. American Economic Review 79: 355–384

    Google Scholar 

  • Roth AE, Schoumaker F (1983) Expectations and reputations in bargaining: An experimental study. American Economic Review 73: 362–373

    Google Scholar 

  • Samuelson L, Zhang J (1992) Evolutionary stability in asymmetric games. Journal of Economic Theory 57(2)

  • Schelling TC (1980) The strategy of conflict. Harvard University Press Cambridge

  • Sugden R (1986) The economics of rights, co-operation, and welfare. Oxford: Basil Blackwell

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Damme E (1987) Stability and perfection of nash equilibria. Springer-Verlag Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Huyck JB, Gillette AB, Battalio RC (1992) Credible assignments in coordination games. Games and Economic Behavior 4(4): 606–626

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Huyck J, Battalio R, Jacobs D, Johnson P, Scott J (1989) Equity, efficiency, and security in tacit bargaining games. Working paper

  • Young HP (1993) The evolution of conventions. Econometrica 61(1): 57–84

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Van Huyck, J., Battalio, R., Mathur, S. et al. On the origin of convention: Evidence from symmetric bargaining games. Int J Game Theory 24, 187–212 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01240042

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01240042

Key words

Navigation