
Simple Characterizations of Potential Games and Zero-sum Equivalent Games
- Sung-Ha Hwang Luc Rey-Bellety
- 한국계량경제학회
- JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC THEORY AND ECONOMETRICS
- Vol.31 No.1
- 등재여부 : KCI등재
- 2020.03
- 1 - 13 (13 pages)
We provide several tests to determine whether a game is a potential game or whether it is a zero-sum equivalent game—a game which is strategically equivalent to a zero-sum game in the same way that a potential game is strategically equivalent to a common interest game. We present a unified framework applicable for both potential and zero-sum equivalent games by deriving a simple but useful characterization of these games. This allows us to re-derive known criteria for potential games, as well as obtain several new criteria. In particular, we prove (1) new integral tests for potential games and for zero-sum equivalent games, (2) a new derivative test for zero-sum equivalent games, and (3) a new representation characterization for zero-sum equivalent games.
1. INTRODUCTION
2. MAIN RESULTS
3. EXAMPLES
4. DISCUSSION