Delegation in Strategic Environments and Equilibrium Uniqueness

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Authors: Fedor Sandomirskiy, Ben Wincelberg
Cited by: 0

Abstract

We ask when a normal-form game yields a single equilibrium prediction, even if players can coordinate by delegating play to an intermediary such as a platform or a cartel. Delegation outcomes are modeled via coarse correlated equilibria (CCE) when the intermediary cannot punish deviators, and via the set of individually rational correlated profiles (IRCP) when it can. We characterize games in which the IRCP or the CCE is unique, uncovering a structural link between these solution concepts. Our analysis also provides new conditions for the uniqueness of classical correlated and Nash equilibria that do not rely on the existence of dominant strategies. The resulting equilibria are robust to players' information about the environment, payoff perturbations, pre-play communication, equilibrium selection, and learning dynamics. We apply these results to collusion-proof mechanism design.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Game Theory and Applications Game Theory and Voting Systems Merger and Competition Analysis

Publication details

Journal / source
arXiv (Cornell University)
Publication date
25 February 2026
Language
EN
Document type
Preprint