skip to main content
Caltech

Ulric B. and Evelyn L. Bray Social Sciences Seminar

Tuesday, November 14, 2017
4:00pm to 5:00pm
Add to Cal
Baxter B125
Searching for Policy Reforms
Avidit Acharya, Assistant Professor, Stanford University,

Abstract: We construct a model of policy reform in which two players continually search for Pareto improving policies. The players have imperfect control over the proposals that are considered. Inefficient gridlock takes place due to the difficulty in finding moderate policies. The reform process is path dependent, with early agreements determining long-run outcomes. The process may also be cyclical, as players alternate between being more and less accommodating. Our model provides a noncooperative foundation for the "Raiffa path."

For more information, please contact Sabrina De Jaegher by phone at 626-395-4228 or by email at [email protected].