We introduce a class of discrete point processes that we call the Submodular Point Processes (SPPs). These processes are characterized via a submodular (or supermodular) function, and naturally model notions of information, coverage and diversity, as well as cooperation. Unlike Log-submodular and Log-supermodular distributions (Log-SPPs) such as determinantal point processes (DPPs), SPPs are th...

We study the approximation of the least core value and the least core of supermodular cost cooperative games. We provide a framework for approximation based on oracles that approximately determine maximally violated constraints. This framework yields a 3-approximation algorithm for computing the least core value of supermodular cost cooperative games, and a polynomial-time algorithm for computi...

Recently Yang and Qi (2013) stated an interesting theorem on the existence of complete lattice of equilibria in a particular class of large nonatomic supermodular games for general action and players spaces. Unfortunately, their result is incorrect. In this note, we detail the nature of the problem with the stated theorem, provide a counterexample, and then correct the result under additional a...

There are no general theoretical results on the stability of the Lindahl mechanism introduced by Chen (2002). We show that despite not …tting the requirements of the Milgrom and Roberts 1990 stability results for supermodular games, if the Chen mechanism induces a supermodular game, then the best reply map will be a contraction. This gives us a easy to identify su¢ cient condition for dynamic s...

Cooperative games provide a framework to study cooperation among self-interested agents. They offer a number of solution concepts describing how the outcome of the cooperation should be shared among the players. Unfortunately, computational problems associated with many of these solution concepts tend to be intractable—NP-hard or worse. In this paper, we incorporate complexity measures recently...

In this paper we study the complexity of the maximum constraint satisfaction problem (Max CSP) over an arbitrary finite domain. An instance of Max CSP consists of a set of variables and a collection of constraints which are applied to certain specified subsets of these variables; the goal is to find values for the variables which maximize the number of simultaneously satisfied constraints. Usin...

We present a 4-approximation algorithm for a class of directed network design problems. The network design problem is to find a minimum cost subgraph such that for each vertex set S there are at least f(S) arcs leaving the set S. In the last 10 years general techniques have been developed for designing approximation algorithms for undirected network design problems. Recently, Kamal Jain gave a ...

We provide an approach to generalized metrics that covers various concepts of distance. In particular, we consider functorial maps which are weakly positive. Here, we focus on the supermodular case which generalizes dimension functions. We give a lattice-theoretically based construction for supermodular functorial maps, which generalize those arising from Dempster-Shafer-Theory. Within this fra...

We analyze the performance of the greedy algorithm, and also a discrete semi-gradient based algorithm, for maximizing the sum of a suBmodular and suPermodular (BP) function (both of which are non-negative monotone non-decreasing) under two types of constraints, either a cardinality constraint or p ≥ 1 matroid independence constraints. These problems occur naturally in several real-world applica...