Optimal Pricing for Linear-Quadratic Games with Nonlinear Interaction Between Agents

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Cai, Jiamin, Zhang, Chenyue, Wai, Hoi-To
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
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author Cai, Jiamin
Zhang, Chenyue
Wai, Hoi-To
author_facet Cai, Jiamin
Zhang, Chenyue
Wai, Hoi-To
contents This paper studies a class of network games with linear-quadratic payoffs and externalities exerted through a strictly concave interaction function. This class of game is motivated by the diminishing marginal effects with peer influences. We analyze the optimal pricing strategy for this class of network game. First, we prove the existence of a unique Nash Equilibrium (NE). Second, we study the optimal pricing strategy of a monopolist selling a divisible good to agents. We show that the optimal pricing strategy, found by solving a bilevel optimization problem, is strictly better when the monopolist knows the network structure as opposed to the best strategy agnostic to network structure. Numerical experiments demonstrate that in most cases, the maximum revenue is achieved with an asymmetric network. These results contrast with the previously studied case of linear interaction function, where a network-independent price is proven optimal with symmetric networks. Lastly, we describe an efficient algorithm to find the optimal pricing strategy.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_01047
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Optimal Pricing for Linear-Quadratic Games with Nonlinear Interaction Between Agents
Cai, Jiamin
Zhang, Chenyue
Wai, Hoi-To
Optimization and Control
Computer Science and Game Theory
This paper studies a class of network games with linear-quadratic payoffs and externalities exerted through a strictly concave interaction function. This class of game is motivated by the diminishing marginal effects with peer influences. We analyze the optimal pricing strategy for this class of network game. First, we prove the existence of a unique Nash Equilibrium (NE). Second, we study the optimal pricing strategy of a monopolist selling a divisible good to agents. We show that the optimal pricing strategy, found by solving a bilevel optimization problem, is strictly better when the monopolist knows the network structure as opposed to the best strategy agnostic to network structure. Numerical experiments demonstrate that in most cases, the maximum revenue is achieved with an asymmetric network. These results contrast with the previously studied case of linear interaction function, where a network-independent price is proven optimal with symmetric networks. Lastly, we describe an efficient algorithm to find the optimal pricing strategy.
title Optimal Pricing for Linear-Quadratic Games with Nonlinear Interaction Between Agents
topic Optimization and Control
Computer Science and Game Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.01047