Preview

Voprosy Ekonomiki

Advanced search
Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Theory of Mechanism Design (2007 Nobel Prize in Economics)

https://doi.org/10.32609/0042-8736-2008-1-4-26

Abstract

The paper outlines the basics of the mechanism design theory and describes the defining contribution of Leo Hurwiсz, Eric Maskin, and Roger Myerson, the Nobel prize winners in economics in 2007. It starts by introducing the concepts of economic mechanism, incentive compatibility, and implementation, and provides a non-technical description of main results. Then it explains the relationship between theoretical foundations and real-world market mechanisms such as auctions. Finally, recent applications of the mechanism design theory to institutional analysis are discussed.

About the Authors

S. Izmalkov
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
United States


K. Sonin
New Economic School
Russian Federation


M. Yudkevich
State University - Higher School of Economics
Russian Federation


References

1. Данилов В., Сотсков А. Механизмы группового выбора. М.: Наука, 1991.

2. Кузьминов Я. И., Бендукидзе К. А., Юдкевич М. М. Курс институциональной экономики. М.: ГУ-ВШЭ, 2006. Гл. 2.

3. Норт Д. Институты, институциональные изменения и функционирование экономики. М.: Начала, 1997.

4. Шеллинг Т. Стратегия конфликта. М.: ИРИСЭН, 2007.

5. Aoki M. Endogenizing institutions and institutional changes // Journal of Institutional Economics. 2007. Vol. 3, No 1. P. 1-31.

6. Aoki M. Towards a comparative institutional analysis: motivations and some tentative theorizing // Japanese Economic Review. 1996. Vol. 47, No 1. P. 1-19).

7. Greif A. Economic History and Game Theory: A Survey/Stanford Working Paper. 1996.

8. Greif A. Historical and Comparative Institutional Analysis // American Economic Review. 1998. Vol. 88, No 2. P. 80-84.

9. Greif A. Institutions: Theory and History. Comparative and Historical Institutional Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

10. Greif А. Cultural Beliefs and the Organization of Society: A Historical and Theoretical Reflection on Collectivist and Individualist Societies // Journal of Political Economy. 1994. Vol. 102, No 5. P. 912-950.

11. Hayek F. A. The present state of the debate // Collectivist Economic Planning/A. Hayek (ed.). L.: Routledge, 1935.

12. Hayek F. A. The use of knowledge in society // American Economic Review. 1945. Vol. 35, No 4. P. 519-530.

13. Hurwicz L. But Who Will Guard the Guardians? // University of Minnesota working paper. 1998. P. 3. http://www.econ.umn.edu/workingpapers/hurwicz_guardians.pdf.

14. Hurwicz L. Economic Design, adjustment processes, mechanisms, and institutions // Economic Design.1994. Vol. 1. P. 1-14.

15. Hurwicz L. Implementation and enforcement // Political Economy, Institutions, Competition, and Representation/W. A. Barnett, M. J. Hinrich, N. J. Schofield (eds.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993. Ch. 2. P. 51-59.

16. Hurwicz L. Institutions as families of game forms // The Japanese Economic Review. 1996. Vol. 47, No 1. P. 113-132.

17. Hurwicz L. On informationally decentralized systems // Decision and Organization/R. Radner, C. B. McGuire (eds.). Amsterdam: North-Holland, 1972.

18. Hurwicz L. Optimality and informational efficiency in resource allocation processes // Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences/K. J. Arrow, S. Karlin, P. Suppes (eds.). Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1960.

19. Hurwicz L. Toward a Framework for Analyzing Institutions and Institutional Change // Markets and Democracy/S. Bowles, H. Gintis, B. Gustafsson (eds.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993. P. 51.

20. Jackson M. A Crash Course in Implementation Theory // Social Choice and Welfare. 2001. Vol. 18, No 4. P. 655-708.

21. Jackson M. Mechanism Theory // Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems / U. Derigs (ed.). Oxford, UK: EOLSS Publishers, 2003.

22. Klemperer P. Auction Theory: A Guide to the Literature // Journal of Economic Surveys. 1999. Vol. 13, No 3. P. 227-286.

23. Maskin E. Nash equilibrium and welfare optimality // Review of Economic Studies. 1999. Vol. 66, No 1. Р. 23-38.

24. Moore J. Implementation, Contracts, and Renegotiation in Environments with Complete Information // Laffont, J. J. (ed.). Advances in Economic Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.

25. Myerson R. Fundamental theory of institutions:a lecture in honor of Leo Hurwicz. 2007. http://home.uchicago.edu/~rmyerson/hurwicz.pdf.

26. Myerson R. Justice, institutions, and multiple equilibria // Chicago Journal of International Law. 2004. Vol. 5. P. 91-107.

27. Myerson R. Optimal auction design // Mathematics of Operations Research. 1981. Vol. 6, No 1. P. 58-73.

28. Myerson R., Satterthwaite M. Efficient mechanisms for bilateral trading // Journal of Economic Theory. 1983. Vol. 29. P. 265-281.

29. Ostrom E. An agenda for the study of institutions // Public Choice. 1986. Vol. 48, No. 1. P. 3-26.

30. Schelling T. The Strategy of Conflict. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1960.

31. Schotter A. The economic theory of social institutions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981.

32. Stiglitz J. Incentives and Risk Sharing in Sharecropping // Review of Economic Studies. 1974. Vol. 41, No 2. P. 219-255.


Review

For citations:


Izmalkov S., Sonin K., Yudkevich M. Theory of Mechanism Design (2007 Nobel Prize in Economics). Voprosy Ekonomiki. 2008;(1):4-26. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.32609/0042-8736-2008-1-4-26

Views: 2470


ISSN 0042-8736 (Print)