TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Charness, Gary
AU  - Feri, Francesco
AU  - Meléndez-Jiménez, Miguel A.
AU  - Sutter, Matthias
        TI  - Experimental Games on Networks: Underpinnings of Behavior and Equilibrium Selection
        PY  - 2014/Apr/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 8104
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp8104
        AB  - In this paper, we describe a series of laboratory experiments that implement specific examples of a more general network structure and we examine equilibrium selection. Specifically, actions are either strategic substitutes or strategic complements, and participants have either complete or incomplete information about the structure of a random network. Since economic environments typically have a considerable degree of complementarity or substitutability, this framework applies to a wide variety of settings.
The degree of equilibrium play is striking, in particular with incomplete information. Behavior closely resembles the theoretical equilibrium whenever this is unique; when there are multiple equilibria, general features of networks, such as connectivity, clustering, and the degree of the players, help to predict informed behavior in the lab. People appear to be strongly attracted to maximizing aggregate payoffs (social efficiency), but there are forces that moderate this attraction: 1) people seem content with (in the aggregate) capturing only the lion's share of the efficient profits in exchange for reduced exposure to loss, and 2) uncertainty about the network structure makes it considerably more difficult to coordinate on a demanding, but efficient, equilibrium that is typically implemented with complete information.
        KW  - incomplete information
KW  - strategic complements
KW  - clustering
KW  - connectivity
KW  - random networks
KW  - strategic substitutes
KW  - experiment
        ER  -