Reinforcement Learning for Durable Algorithmic Recourse

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Ceccon, Marina, Fabris, Alessandro, Radanović, Goran, Biega, Asia J., Susto, Gian Antonio
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Ceccon, Marina
Fabris, Alessandro
Radanović, Goran
Biega, Asia J.
Susto, Gian Antonio
author_facet Ceccon, Marina
Fabris, Alessandro
Radanović, Goran
Biega, Asia J.
Susto, Gian Antonio
contents Algorithmic recourse seeks to provide individuals with actionable recommendations that increase their chances of receiving favorable outcomes from automated decision systems (e.g., loan approvals). While prior research has emphasized robustness to model updates, considerably less attention has been given to the temporal dynamics of recourse--particularly in competitive, resource-constrained settings where recommendations shape future applicant pools. In this work, we present a novel time-aware framework for algorithmic recourse, explicitly modeling how candidate populations adapt in response to recommendations. Additionally, we introduce a novel reinforcement learning (RL)-based recourse algorithm that captures the evolving dynamics of the environment to generate recommendations that are both feasible and valid. We design our recommendations to be durable, supporting validity over a predefined time horizon T. This durability allows individuals to confidently reapply after taking time to implement the suggested changes. Through extensive experiments in complex simulation environments, we show that our approach substantially outperforms existing baselines, offering a superior balance between feasibility and long-term validity. Together, these results underscore the importance of incorporating temporal and behavioral dynamics into the design of practical recourse systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_22102
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Reinforcement Learning for Durable Algorithmic Recourse
Ceccon, Marina
Fabris, Alessandro
Radanović, Goran
Biega, Asia J.
Susto, Gian Antonio
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
Algorithmic recourse seeks to provide individuals with actionable recommendations that increase their chances of receiving favorable outcomes from automated decision systems (e.g., loan approvals). While prior research has emphasized robustness to model updates, considerably less attention has been given to the temporal dynamics of recourse--particularly in competitive, resource-constrained settings where recommendations shape future applicant pools. In this work, we present a novel time-aware framework for algorithmic recourse, explicitly modeling how candidate populations adapt in response to recommendations. Additionally, we introduce a novel reinforcement learning (RL)-based recourse algorithm that captures the evolving dynamics of the environment to generate recommendations that are both feasible and valid. We design our recommendations to be durable, supporting validity over a predefined time horizon T. This durability allows individuals to confidently reapply after taking time to implement the suggested changes. Through extensive experiments in complex simulation environments, we show that our approach substantially outperforms existing baselines, offering a superior balance between feasibility and long-term validity. Together, these results underscore the importance of incorporating temporal and behavioral dynamics into the design of practical recourse systems.
title Reinforcement Learning for Durable Algorithmic Recourse
topic Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.22102