How Much Common Belief Is Necessary for a Convention?

Author: Shin H.S.   Williamson T.  

Publisher: Academic Press

ISSN: 0899-8256

Source: Games and Economic Behavior, Vol.13, Iss.2, 1996-04, pp. : 252-268

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Abstract

We study Bayesian coordination games in which players choose actions conditional on the realization of their respective signals. Due to differential information, the players do not have common knowledge that a particular game is being played. However, they do have common beliefs with specified probabilities concerning their environment. In our framework, any equilibrium set of rules must be simple enough so that the actions of all players are common belief with probability 1 at every state. Common belief with probability close to 1 will not do. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C72, D82.