Doctoral Dissertation Research in Economics: Search in a Social Setting

经济学博士论文研究：社会环境中的搜索

• 批准号: 0617821
• 负责人: Douglas Gale
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: New York University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-07-01 至 2008-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0617821&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Economics; Search

Until recently search theory, describing choices in an uncertain environment, and social learning theory, describing ways individuals interpret information, have developed separately in the literature. Search theory assumes that the only information available to the decision maker is the information generated by her own search, whereas social learning assumes that individuals can learn by observing the behavior of others. However the research on the effect of information on search behavior is rather small. This project contributes to that literature.The project uses both theory and experiments to explain the effect of external information on search. The problem is defined such that several managers search for the best marketing strategy in a common environment. The managers' behavior is characterized by applying tools developed in search theory and social learning. The theoretical predictions are tested using laboratory experiments, with human subjects as managers and the market environment is represented by a simple search problem. The importance of the lab experiments lies in their ability to confirm or reject our theoretical predictions. Understanding the strengths and weakness of the theory in simple environments illuminates the behavioral differences between theory and reality, and creates a foundation for the study of more complex environments.Information is ubiquitous and abundant in today's world. Understanding the effect of information on decision making is an important aspect of economic research. This research provides a better understanding on the link between search and social learning. The project explores both the theoretical and behavioral sides of the question and is expected to provide significant insights for future applications. The project also adds search as another dimension to the incentive problem faced by firms with teams of managers. This new perspective is expected to inform new policies regarding information flow and compensation schemes in firms. The results of this project will be available through journals and online distribution. The results will be presented in seminars and conferences in order to initiate more research on the effects of information. This research is a stepping stone towards more extensive research about the connection between choice and information.

直到最近，搜索理论（描述不确定环境中的选择）和社会学习理论（描述个人解释信息的方式）在文献中分别发展。搜索理论假设决策者唯一可用的信息是她自己搜索产生的信息，而社会学习假设个人可以通过观察他人的行为来学习。然而，关于信息对搜索行为影响的研究却很少。该项目对该文献做出了贡献。该项目使用理论和实验来解释外部信息对搜索的影响。该问题的定义是，多个管理者在共同的环境中寻找最佳的营销策略。 管理者的行为通过应用搜索​​理论和社会学习中开发的工具来表征。 理论预测通过实验室实验进行检验，以人类受试者为管理者，市场环境由一个简单的搜索问题代表。 实验室实验的重要性在于它们能够证实或拒绝我们的理论预测。 了解理论在简单环境中的优缺点可以阐明理论与现实之间的行为差​​异，并为研究更复杂的环境奠定基础。当今世界，信息无处不在且丰富。 了解信息对决策的影响是经济研究的一个重要方面。 这项研究让人们更好地理解搜索和社交学习之间的联系。 该项目探索了该问题的理论和行为方面，预计将为未来的应用提供重要的见解。 该项目还将搜索作为拥有经理团队的公司所面临的激励问题的另一个维度。 这一新视角预计将为有关企业信息流和薪酬计划的新政策提供信息。 该项目的结果将通过期刊和在线分发提供。 研究结果将在研讨会和会议上公布，以便启动更多关于信息影响的研究。 这项研究是对选择与信息之间的联系进行更广泛研究的基石。