The solution to a Nash or a nonsymmetric bargaining game is obtained by maximizing a concave function over a convex set, i.e., it is the solution to a convex program. We show that each 2-player game whose convex program has linear constraints, admits a rational solution and such a solution can be found in polynomial time using only an LP solver. If in addition, the game is succinct, i.e., the c...

A simple two stage bilateral bargaining game is analyzed. The players simultaneously demand shares of a unit size pie in the first stage. If the demands add up to more than one, both players, in the second stage, simultaneously choose whether to stick to their demand or accept the other’s offer. While both parties sticking to their offers leads to an impasse, accepting a lower share than the or...

Physical appearance influences behavior in a number of environments, yet surprisingly little is known about the influence of physical attractiveness on the bargaining process. We conducted an ultimatum game experiment to investigate the influence of physical attractiveness and gender on ultimatum game decisions. Results from this study revealed no significant differences in the offers or demand...

We consider a cellular system with multiple Femtocells operating in a Macrocell. They are sharing a set of communication channels. Each Femtocell has multiple users requiring certain minimum rate guarantees. Each channel has a peak power constraint to limit interference to the Macro Base Station (BS). We formulate the problem of channel allocation and power control at the Femtocells as a noncoo...

We study an infinite horizon game in which pairs of players connected in a network are randomly matched to bargain over a unit surplus. Players who reach agreement are removed from the network without replacement. The global logic of efficient matchings and the local nature of bargaining, in combination with the irreversible exit of player pairs following agreements, create severe hurdles to th...

Extensive work has been conducted both in game theory and logic to model strategic interaction. An important question is whether we can use these theories to design agents for interacting with people? On the one hand, they provide a formal design specification for agent strategies. On the other hand, people do not necessarily adhere to playing in accordance with these strategies, and their beha...

We propose an elementary theory of wars fought by fully rational contenders that features three of the main rationalist explanations for armed conflicts: uncertainty, commitment, and indivisibility. Two parties play a Markov game that combines stages of bargaining, where offers are made, with claim stages, where one side can commit to impose surrender on the other. Under uncertainty on the pers...

We compare alternating-offer and demand bargaining models of the legislative bargaining process. These two approaches make very different predictions in terms of both ex-ante and ex-post distribution of payoffs, as well as about the role of the order of play. Experiments show that actual bargaining behavior is not as sensitive to the different bargaining rules as the theoretical predictions. We...

This paper studies a one-shot, simultaneous-move bargaining game. Each bargainer makes a partial commitment (a share of the unit size cake that she would like to get), which can later be revoked at some cost to the player. The payoffs are defined, in part, by the Nash bargaining solution, where the feasible utility set is affected by the players' partial commitments. Under certain assumptions o...

In order to analyze bargaining in pure exchange and public good economies when the agents are not informed about their opponents’ payoffs, we embed each bargaining problem into a noncooperative game of misrepresentation. In pure exchange (public good) economies with an arbitrary number of agents whose true utilities satisfy a mild assumption, the set of allocations obtained at the linear-strate...