[go: up one dir, main page]

IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jmathe/v9y2020i1p19-d467189.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Dynamic Multiagent Incentive Contracts: Existence, Uniqueness, and Implementation

Author

Listed:
  • Qi Luo

    (Department of Industrial Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
    Current address: 277B Freeman Hall, Clemson, SC 29634 , USA.)

  • Romesh Saigal

    (Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
    Current address: 2883 IOE Building, 1205 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2117, USA.)

Abstract
Multiagent incentive contracts are advanced techniques for solving decentralized decision-making problems with asymmetric information. The principal designs contracts aiming to incentivize non-cooperating agents to act in his or her interest. Due to the asymmetric information, the principal must balance the efficiency loss and the security for keeping the agents. We prove both the existence conditions for optimality and the uniqueness conditions for computational tractability. The coupled principal-agent problems are converted to solving a Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman equation with equilibrium constraints. Extending the incentive contract to a multiagent setting with history-dependent terminal conditions opens the door to new applications in corporate finance, institutional design, and operations research.

Suggested Citation

  • Qi Luo & Romesh Saigal, 2020. "Dynamic Multiagent Incentive Contracts: Existence, Uniqueness, and Implementation," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-17, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jmathe:v:9:y:2020:i:1:p:19-:d:467189
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/9/1/19/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/9/1/19/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Englmaier, Florian & Muehlheusser, Gerd & Roider, Andreas, 2010. "Optimal Incentive Contracts under Moral Hazard When the Agent is Free to Leave," Discussion Paper Series of SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems 329, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich.
    2. Hyeng Keun Koo & Gyoocheol Shim & Jaeyoung Sung, 2008. "Optimal Multi‐Agent Performance Measures For Team Contracts," Mathematical Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(4), pages 649-667, October.
    3. Markus K. Brunnermeier & Yuliy Sannikov, 2014. "A Macroeconomic Model with a Financial Sector," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(2), pages 379-421, February.
    4. Englmaier, Florian & Wambach, Achim, 2010. "Optimal incentive contracts under inequity aversion," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 312-328, July.
    5. Luo, Qi & Saigal, Romesh & Chen, Zhibin & Yin, Yafeng, 2019. "Accelerating the adoption of automated vehicles by subsidies: A dynamic games approach," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 226-243.
    6. George Georgiadis, 2015. "Projects and Team Dynamics," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 82(1), pages 187-218.
    7. Thibaut Mastrolia & Zhenjie Ren, 2018. "Principal-Agent Problem with Common Agency without Communication," Working Papers hal-01534611, HAL.
    8. William Fuchs, 2007. "Contracting with Repeated Moral Hazard and Private Evaluations," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 97(4), pages 1432-1448, September.
    9. Holmstrom, Bengt & Milgrom, Paul, 1991. "Multitask Principal-Agent Analyses: Incentive Contracts, Asset Ownership, and Job Design," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 7(0), pages 24-52, Special I.
    10. Eduardo Faingold & Yuliy Sannikov, 2011. "Reputation in Continuous‐Time Games," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 79(3), pages 773-876, May.
    11. Peter M. Demarzo & Yuliy Sannikov, 2017. "Learning, Termination, and Payout Policy in Dynamic Incentive Contracts," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 84(1), pages 182-236.
    12. Yaping Shan, 2017. "Optimal contracts for research agents," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 48(1), pages 94-124, March.
    13. Yuliy Sannikov, 2008. "A Continuous-Time Version of the Principal-Agent Problem," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 75(3), pages 957-984.
    14. Jakša Cvitanić & Dylan Possamaï & Nizar Touzi, 2018. "Dynamic programming approach to principal–agent problems," Finance and Stochastics, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 1-37, January.
    15. Stephen E. Spear & Sanjay Srivastava, 1987. "On Repeated Moral Hazard with Discounting," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 54(4), pages 599-617.
    16. Tomasz Piskorski & Alexei Tchistyi, 2010. "Optimal Mortgage Design," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(8), pages 3098-3140, August.
    17. PETER M. DeMARZO & YULIY SANNIKOV, 2006. "Optimal Security Design and Dynamic Capital Structure in a Continuous‐Time Agency Model," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 61(6), pages 2681-2724, December.
    18. Holmstrom, Bengt & Milgrom, Paul, 1987. "Aggregation and Linearity in the Provision of Intertemporal Incentives," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 55(2), pages 303-328, March.
    19. Demski, Joel S. & Sappington, David, 1984. "Optimal incentive contracts with multiple agents," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 152-171, June.
    20. Martin J. Osborne & Ariel Rubinstein, 1994. "A Course in Game Theory," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262650401, April.
    21. Jaeyoung Sung, 1995. "Linearity with Project Selection and Controllable Diffusion Rate in Continuous-Time Principal-Agent Problems," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 26(4), pages 720-743, Winter.
    22. Thibaut Mastrolia & Zhenjie Ren, 2017. "Principal-Agent Problem with Common Agency without Communication," Papers 1706.02936, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2018.
    23. Williams, Noah, 2015. "A solvable continuous time dynamic principal–agent model," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 159(PB), pages 989-1015.
    24. repec:oup:restud:v:84:y::i:1:p:182-236. is not listed on IDEAS
    25. Ching-To Ma, 1988. "Unique Implementation of Incentive Contracts with Many Agents," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 55(4), pages 555-572.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Emma Hubert, 2020. "Continuous-time incentives in hierarchies," Papers 2007.10758, arXiv.org.
    2. Dylan Possamai & Nizar Touzi, 2020. "Is there a Golden Parachute in Sannikov's principal-agent problem?," Papers 2007.05529, arXiv.org, revised Oct 2022.
    3. Zhang, Yuqian & Yang, Zhaojun, 2024. "Dynamic incentive contracts for ESG investing," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    4. Romuald Elie & Dylan Possamai, 2016. "Contracting theory with competitive interacting agents," Papers 1605.08099, arXiv.org.
    5. Villeneuve, Stéphane & Abi Jaber, Eduardo, 2022. "Gaussian Agency problems with memory and Linear Contracts," TSE Working Papers 22-1363, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    6. Eduardo Abi Jaber & Stéphane Villeneuve, 2022. "Gaussian Agency problems with memory and Linear Contracts," Post-Print hal-03783062, HAL.
    7. Eduardo Abi Jaber & St'ephane Villeneuve, 2022. "Gaussian Agency problems with memory and Linear Contracts," Papers 2209.10878, arXiv.org.
    8. Eduardo Abi Jaber & Stéphane Villeneuve, 2022. "Gaussian Agency problems with memory and Linear Contracts," Working Papers hal-03783062, HAL.
    9. Thibaut Mastrolia & Dylan Possamaï, 2018. "Moral Hazard Under Ambiguity," Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, Springer, vol. 179(2), pages 452-500, November.
    10. Nadide Banu Olcay, 2016. "Dynamic incentive contracts with termination threats," Review of Economic Design, Springer;Society for Economic Design, vol. 20(4), pages 255-288, December.
    11. Kaitong Hu & Zhenjie Ren & Junjian Yang, 2019. "Principal-agent problem with multiple principals," Working Papers hal-02088486, HAL.
    12. Jessica Martin & Stéphane Villeneuve, 2023. "Risk-sharing and optimal contracts with large exogenous risks," Post-Print hal-04164688, HAL.
    13. Ronald Anderson & Cecilia Bustamante & Stéphane Guibaud & Mihail Zervos, 2018. "Agency, Firm Growth, and Managerial Turnover," Post-Print hal-03391936, HAL.
    14. Alex Edmans & Xavier Gabaix, 2011. "Tractability in Incentive Contracting," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 24(9), pages 2865-2894.
    15. Zhiguo He & Bin Wei & Jianfeng Yu & Feng Gao, 2017. "Optimal Long-Term Contracting with Learning," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 30(6), pages 2006-2065.
    16. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/2iclr3ojhv9ko9ord4mpg9odaj is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Guillermo Alonso Alvarez & Erhan Bayraktar & Ibrahim Ekren & Liwei Huang, 2024. "Sequential optimal contracting in continuous time," Papers 2411.04262, arXiv.org.
    18. Cetemen, Doruk & Feng, Felix Zhiyu & Urgun, Can, 2023. "Renegotiation and dynamic inconsistency: Contracting with non-exponential discounting," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    19. Jessica Martin & Stéphane Villeneuve, 2023. "Risk-sharing and optimal contracts with large exogenous risks," Decisions in Economics and Finance, Springer;Associazione per la Matematica, vol. 46(1), pages 1-43, June.
    20. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/2iclr3ojhv9ko9ord4mpg9odaj is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Camilo Hern'andez & Dylan Possamai, 2023. "Time-inconsistent contract theory," Papers 2303.01601, arXiv.org.
    22. Romuald Elie & Thibaut Mastrolia & Dylan Possamaï, 2019. "A Tale of a Principal and Many, Many Agents," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 44(2), pages 440-467, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jmathe:v:9:y:2020:i:1:p:19-:d:467189. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.