In this paper we consider the problem of efficiently allocating a given resource or object repeatedly over time. The agents, who may temporarily receive access to the resource, learn more about its value through its use. When the agents' beliefs about their valuations at any given time are...

We consider a general multi-principal multi-agent contracting game in a complete-information supply-chain setting and determine coordinating equilibrium transfer schedules in closed form. The resulting contracts manage to align incentives for decentralized decision-making and achieve first-best...

We consider comparative statics of solutions to parameterized optimization problems. A geometric method is developed for finding a vector field that, at each point in the parameter space, indicates a direction in which monotone comparative statics obtain. Given such a vector field, we provide...

In this paper we pursue three main objectives: (1) to develop a model of an intermediated search market in which matching between consumers and firms takes place primarily via paid referrals; (2) to address the important managerial question (for a search intermediary) of finding a suitable...

We discuss the general problem of finding fair constrained resource allocations. As criterion for fairness we propose an inequality index, termed fairness ratio, the maximization of which produces Lorenz-undominated Pareto-efficient allocations. Since the fairness ratio does not depend on the...

This paper introduces joint product design and non-linear pricing in the context of sharing markets. Product ecosystems enable user sensing, setting the stage for the control of post-purchase consumption patterns. By varying the degree to which products can be reused and transferred among peers,...

It is natural for humans to judge the outcome of a decision under uncertainty as a percentage of an ex-post optimal performance. We propose a robust decision-making framework based on a relative performance index. It is shown that if the decision maker's preferences satisfy quasisupermodularity,...

We consider the problem of finding the optimal time to switch between two measurable cash-flow streams. A complete characterization of the set of solutions is obtained in terms of adjoint variables which measure the available gain from deviations. An iterative procedure for the computation of...