Lecture 18
Lecture 18
Mauricio Romero
Lecture 18: Repeated Games
Example 1
Example 2
Lecture 18: Repeated Games
Example 1
Example 2
Theorem
Suppose that the stage game G has exactly one NE, (a1∗ , a2∗ , . . . , an∗ ). Then for any
δ ∈ (0, 1] and any T , the T -times repeated game has a unique SPNE in which all
players i play ai∗ at all information sets.
I The basic idea of the proof for this proposition is exactly the same that we saw in
the repeated prisoner’s dilemma
I The basic idea of the proof for this proposition is exactly the same that we saw in
the repeated prisoner’s dilemma
I All past payoffs are sunk
I The basic idea of the proof for this proposition is exactly the same that we saw in
the repeated prisoner’s dilemma
I All past payoffs are sunk
I In the last period, the incentives of all players are exactly the same as if the game
were being played once
I The basic idea of the proof for this proposition is exactly the same that we saw in
the repeated prisoner’s dilemma
I All past payoffs are sunk
I In the last period, the incentives of all players are exactly the same as if the game
were being played once
I Thus all players must play the stage game Nash equilibrium action regardless of
the history of play up to that point
I The basic idea of the proof for this proposition is exactly the same that we saw in
the repeated prisoner’s dilemma
I All past payoffs are sunk
I In the last period, the incentives of all players are exactly the same as if the game
were being played once
I Thus all players must play the stage game Nash equilibrium action regardless of
the history of play up to that point
I But then we can induct
I The basic idea of the proof for this proposition is exactly the same that we saw in
the repeated prisoner’s dilemma
I All past payoffs are sunk
I In the last period, the incentives of all players are exactly the same as if the game
were being played once
I Thus all players must play the stage game Nash equilibrium action regardless of
the history of play up to that point
I But then we can induct
I Knowing that the stage game Nash equilibrium is going to be played tomorrow, at
any information set, we can ignore the past payoffs
I The basic idea of the proof for this proposition is exactly the same that we saw in
the repeated prisoner’s dilemma
I All past payoffs are sunk
I In the last period, the incentives of all players are exactly the same as if the game
were being played once
I Thus all players must play the stage game Nash equilibrium action regardless of
the history of play up to that point
I But then we can induct
I Knowing that the stage game Nash equilibrium is going to be played tomorrow, at
any information set, we can ignore the past payoffs
I We concentrate just on the payoffs in the future. Thus in period T − 1, player i
simply wants to maximize:
T −1
max δ T −2 ui (ai , a−i ) + δ T −1 ui (a∗ ).
ai ∈Ai
I What player i plays today has no consequences for what happens in period T
since we saw that all players will play a∗ no matter what happens in period T − 1
I What player i plays today has no consequences for what happens in period T
since we saw that all players will play a∗ no matter what happens in period T − 1
I Thus again, for this to be a Nash equilibrium, we need a1T −1 = a1∗ , . . . , anT −1 = an∗ .
I What player i plays today has no consequences for what happens in period T
since we saw that all players will play a∗ no matter what happens in period T − 1
I Thus again, for this to be a Nash equilibrium, we need a1T −1 = a1∗ , . . . , anT −1 = an∗ .
I Following exactly this induction, we can conclude that every player must play ai∗
at all times and all histories
Lecture 18: Repeated Games
Example 1
Example 2
Lecture 18: Repeated Games
Example 1
Example 2
I What would happen if there are more than one NE of the stage game?
I What would happen if there are more than one NE of the stage game?
A2 B2 C2
A1 1, 1 0, 0 0, 0
B1 0, 0 4, 4 1, 5
C1 0, 0 5, 1 3, 3
I If the game is only played once
I If the game is only played once
I There are two pure strategy Nash equilibria: (A1 , A2 ) and (C1 , C2 ).
I If the game is only played once
I There are two pure strategy Nash equilibria: (A1 , A2 ) and (C1 , C2 ).
I There are two pure strategy Nash equilibria: (A1 , A2 ) and (C1 , C2 ).
I In the one-shot game, the Nash equilibria are inefficient because they are Pareto
dominated by (B1 , B2 )
I Playing the NE of the stage game in every period is a SPNE in the repeated game
I Playing the NE of the stage game in every period is a SPNE in the repeated game
I The SPNE that we’ve considered, players always play strategies that do not
condition on what happened in the past
I This is uninteresting since Nash equilibria are played in every period
I The SPNE that we’ve considered, players always play strategies that do not
condition on what happened in the past
I What makes a repeated game interesting is when players play strategies in SPNE
that condition on what happened in the past
I This is uninteresting since Nash equilibria are played in every period
I The SPNE that we’ve considered, players always play strategies that do not
condition on what happened in the past
I What makes a repeated game interesting is when players play strategies in SPNE
that condition on what happened in the past
I This could not happen when the stage game had a unique NE
I This is uninteresting since Nash equilibria are played in every period
I The SPNE that we’ve considered, players always play strategies that do not
condition on what happened in the past
I What makes a repeated game interesting is when players play strategies in SPNE
that condition on what happened in the past
I This could not happen when the stage game had a unique NE
I In the last period, all players were required to play the unique NE action after all
histories!
I This is uninteresting since Nash equilibria are played in every period
I The SPNE that we’ve considered, players always play strategies that do not
condition on what happened in the past
I What makes a repeated game interesting is when players play strategies in SPNE
that condition on what happened in the past
I This could not happen when the stage game had a unique NE
I In the last period, all players were required to play the unique NE action after all
histories!
I This is uninteresting since Nash equilibria are played in every period
I The SPNE that we’ve considered, players always play strategies that do not
condition on what happened in the past
I What makes a repeated game interesting is when players play strategies in SPNE
that condition on what happened in the past
I This could not happen when the stage game had a unique NE
I In the last period, all players were required to play the unique NE action after all
histories! Why?
Proof
I To see this, suppose that a history (a1 , a2 ) was played in period 1 resulting in
payoffs from period 1 of (x, y )
Proof
I To see this, suppose that a history (a1 , a2 ) was played in period 1 resulting in
payoffs from period 1 of (x, y )
I Then the normal form of the subgame starting in period 2 is given by:
Normal Form
A2 B2 C2
A1 (x, y ) + δ(1, 1) (x, y ) + δ(0, 0) (x, y ) + δ(0, 0)
B1 (x, y ) + δ(0, 0) (x, y ) + δ(4, 4) (x, y ) + δ(1, 5)
C1 (x, y ) + δ(0, 0) (x, y ) + δ(5, 1) (x, y ) + δ(3, 3)
Proof
I Since we are just adding the same (x, y ) to each cell and multiplying by δ, the
Nash equilibrium remains unchanged from the original stage game
Proof
I Since we are just adding the same (x, y ) to each cell and multiplying by δ, the
Nash equilibrium remains unchanged from the original stage game
I The set of Nash equilibria of this subgame is given by (A1 , A2 ) and (C1 , C2 )
Proof
I Since we are just adding the same (x, y ) to each cell and multiplying by δ, the
Nash equilibrium remains unchanged from the original stage game
I The set of Nash equilibria of this subgame is given by (A1 , A2 ) and (C1 , C2 )
I Thus after any history, the set of pure strategy NE are (A1 , A2 ) or (C1 , C2 )
Proof
I Since we are just adding the same (x, y ) to each cell and multiplying by δ, the
Nash equilibrium remains unchanged from the original stage game
I The set of Nash equilibria of this subgame is given by (A1 , A2 ) and (C1 , C2 )
I Thus after any history, the set of pure strategy NE are (A1 , A2 ) or (C1 , C2 )
I Since SPNE requires Nash equilibrium in every subgame, this means that after
any history, (A1 , A2 ) or (C1 , C2 ) must be played
I Lets try to find a SPNE in which (B1 , B2 ) is played in the first period.
Normal Form
A2 B2 C2
A1 1, 1 0, 0 0, 0
B1 0, 0 4, 4 1, 5
C1 0, 0 5, 1 3, 3
I Consider the following strategy profile, where we punish in t = 2 if we don’t play
(B1 , B2 ) in t = 1
I Consider the following strategy profile, where we punish in t = 2 if we don’t play
(B1 , B2 ) in t = 1
Normal Form
A2 B2 C2
A1 (4, 4) + δ(1, 1) (4, 4) + δ(0, 0) (4, 4) + δ(0, 0)
B1 (4, 4) + δ(0, 0) (4, 4) + δ(4, 4) (4, 4) + δ(1, 5)
C1 (4, 4) + δ(0, 0) (4, 4) + δ(5, 1) (4, 4) + δ(3, 3)
I The subgame is just the original game with a payoff of (4, 4) added to each box
and multiplying by δ
I The subgame is just the original game with a payoff of (4, 4) added to each box
and multiplying by δ
I If we add the same utility to all boxes, then the preferences of players are
completely unchanged
I The subgame is just the original game with a payoff of (4, 4) added to each box
and multiplying by δ
I If we add the same utility to all boxes, then the preferences of players are
completely unchanged
I Therefore the set of Nash equilibria are the same in this subgame as in the stage
game
I The subgame is just the original game with a payoff of (4, 4) added to each box
and multiplying by δ
I If we add the same utility to all boxes, then the preferences of players are
completely unchanged
I Therefore the set of Nash equilibria are the same in this subgame as in the stage
game
I If (α1 , α2 ) 6= (B1 , B2 ) is observed there are some payoffs (x, y ) such that the
subgame induces the following normal form
Normal Form
A2 B2 C2
A1 (x, y ) + δ(1, 1) (x, y ) + δ(0, 0) (x, y ) + δ(0, 0)
B1 (x, y ) + δ(0, 0) (x, y ) + δ(4, 4) (x, y ) + δ(1, 5)
C1 (x, y ) + δ(0, 0) (x, y ) + δ(5, 1) (x, y ) + δ(3, 3)
I Again in this case, note that we are simply adding the same payoff profile (x, y ) to
every box and multiplying by δ
I Again in this case, note that we are simply adding the same payoff profile (x, y ) to
every box and multiplying by δ
I Therefore, the Nash equilibrium is again the set of Nash equilibrium of the original
stage game
I Again in this case, note that we are simply adding the same payoff profile (x, y ) to
every box and multiplying by δ
I Therefore, the Nash equilibrium is again the set of Nash equilibrium of the original
stage game
I We need to check that indeed the strategies constitute a Nash equilibrium in the
whole game
I We have checked that the strategy profile was indeed a Nash equilibrium in all
subgames that begin in period 2
I We need to check that indeed the strategies constitute a Nash equilibrium in the
whole game
I To do this, we already specified the play at all information sets in the second
period
So we can simplify the game which gives the following game tree.
Anna
A1 C1
B1
Bob Bob Bob
A2 C2 A2 C2
B2 B2 A2 C2
B2
(1 + δ, 1 + δ) (δ, δ) (δ, δ) (1 + δ, 5 + δ)
(5 + δ, 1 + δ)
The normal form of this game (conditional on what happens in T = 2) is:
Normal Form
A2 B2 C2
A1 1 + δ, 1 + δ δ, δ δ, δ
B1 δ, δ 4 + 3δ, 4 + 3δ 1 + δ, 5 + δ
C1 δ, δ 5 + δ, 1 + δ 3 + δ, 3 + δ
I In this game the best response for player i is:
Ai if s−i = A−i
B
i if s−i = B−i & 4 + 3δ ≥ 5 + δ
BRi (s−i ) =
Ci if s−i = B−i & 4 + 3δ ≤ 5 + δ
C
i if s−i = C−i
I In this game the best response for player i is:
Ai if s−i = A−i
B
i if s−i = B−i & 4 + 3δ ≥ 5 + δ
BRi (s−i ) =
Ci if s−i = B−i & 4 + 3δ ≤ 5 + δ
C
i if s−i = C−i
A2 B2 C2
A1 1, 1 0, 0 0, 0
B1 0, 0 4, 4 1, 5
C1 0, 0 5, 1 3, 3
I Are there any other action profiles that can be played in the first period?
Normal Form
A2 B2 C2
A1 1, 1 0, 0 0, 0
B1 0, 0 4, 4 1, 5
C1 0, 0 5, 1 3, 3
I Suppose that the players were to play (A1 , B2 ) in the first period
I Are there any other action profiles that can be played in the first period?
Normal Form
A2 B2 C2
A1 1, 1 0, 0 0, 0
B1 0, 0 4, 4 1, 5
C1 0, 0 5, 1 3, 3
I Suppose that the players were to play (A1 , B2 ) in the first period
A2 B2 C2
A1 1, 1 0, 0 0, 0
B1 0, 0 4, 4 1, 5
C1 0, 0 5, 1 3, 3
I Suppose that the players were to play (A1 , B2 ) in the first period
I Remember either (A1 , A2 ) or (C1 , C2 ) must be played in any pure strategy SPNE
after a history
I Now let us argue that (A1 , B2 ) cannot be played in period 1 in a SPNE
I Now let us argue that (A1 , B2 ) cannot be played in period 1 in a SPNE
I Suppose otherwise
I Now let us argue that (A1 , B2 ) cannot be played in period 1 in a SPNE
I Suppose otherwise
I No matter what happens in the second period, there is no way A1 could be a best
response against B2 in the first period.
I Now let us argue that (A1 , B2 ) cannot be played in period 1 in a SPNE
I Suppose otherwise
I No matter what happens in the second period, there is no way A1 could be a best
response against B2 in the first period.
I The maximum payoff that player 1 could get from playing according to this
“supposed” SPNE:
u1 (A1 , B2 ) + δu1 (C1 , C2 ) = 3δ
I Now let us argue that (A1 , B2 ) cannot be played in period 1 in a SPNE
I Suppose otherwise
I No matter what happens in the second period, there is no way A1 could be a best
response against B2 in the first period.
I The maximum payoff that player 1 could get from playing according to this
“supposed” SPNE:
u1 (A1 , B2 ) + δu1 (C1 , C2 ) = 3δ
I By playing A1 against C2 , the best that player 1 can hope for in a SPNE is:
I By playing A1 against C2 , the best that player 1 can hope for in a SPNE is:
I The worst payoff that player 1 can obtain by playing C1 instead in period 1 is:
I By playing A1 against C2 , the best that player 1 can hope for in a SPNE is:
I The worst payoff that player 1 can obtain by playing C1 instead in period 1 is:
I By playing A1 against C2 , the best that player 1 can hope for in a SPNE is:
I The worst payoff that player 1 can obtain by playing C1 instead in period 1 is:
Anna
A1 C1
B1
Bob Bob Bob
A2 C2 A2 C2
B2 B2 A2 C2
B2
(1 + 3δ, 1 + 3δ) (3δ, 3δ) (3δ, 3δ) (1 + 3δ, 5 + 3δ)
(5 + 3δ, 1 + 3δ)
The normal form of this game (conditional on what happens in T = 2) is:
Normal Form
A2 B2 C2
A1 1 + 3δ, 1 + 3δ 3δ, 3δ 3δ, 3δ
B1 3δ, 3δ 4 + 3δ, 4 + 3δ 1 + 3δ, 5 + 3δ
C1 3δ, 3δ 5 + 3δ, 1 + 3δ 3 + δ, 3 + δ
I In this game the best response for player i is:
A1 if s2 = A2
C if
1 s2 = B2
BR1 (s2 ) =
C 1 if s2 = C2
B if
1 s2 = C2 & δ = 1
I In this game the best response for player i is:
A1 if s2 = A2
C if
1 s2 = B2
BR1 (s2 ) =
C 1 if s2 = C2
B if
1 s2 = C2 & δ = 1
Anna
A1 C1
B1
Bob Bob Bob
A2 C2 A2 C2
B2 B2 A2 C2
B2
(1 + δ, 1 + δ) (δ, δ) (δ, δ) (1 + δ, 5 + δ)
(δ, δ) (4 + δ, 4 + δ) (δ, δ) (3 + δ, 3 + δ)
(5 + 3δ, 1 + 3δ)
The normal form of this game (conditional on what happens in T = 2) is:
Normal Form
A2 B2 C2
A1 1 + δ, 1 + δ 3δ, δ δ, δ
B1 δ, δ 4 + δ, 4 + δ 1 + δ, 5 + δ
C1 δ, δ 5 + 3δ, 1 + 3δ 3 + δ, 3 + δ
I In this game the best response for player i is:
A1 if s2 = A2
BR1 (s2 ) = C1 if s2 = B2
C1 if s2 = C2
I The set of pure strategy SPNE can involve the play of non-stage game NE action
profiles in period 1 (although in period 2, players must play stage game NE)
I There are many many pure strategy SPNE of this game!
I The set of pure strategy SPNE can involve the play of non-stage game NE action
profiles in period 1 (although in period 2, players must play stage game NE)
I We’ve already seen that there may be multiple SPNE that lead to the same
equilibrium outcomes
I There are many many pure strategy SPNE of this game!
I The set of pure strategy SPNE can involve the play of non-stage game NE action
profiles in period 1 (although in period 2, players must play stage game NE)
I We’ve already seen that there may be multiple SPNE that lead to the same
equilibrium outcomes
I The set of pure strategy SPNE can involve the play of non-stage game NE action
profiles in period 1 (although in period 2, players must play stage game NE)
I We’ve already seen that there may be multiple SPNE that lead to the same
equilibrium outcomes
I So instead of calculating all possible SPNE, lets just calculate the set of all
possible equilibrium outcomes
I We know that the following are possible equilibrium outcomes:
I We know that the following are possible equilibrium outcomes:
1. (A1 , A2 ), (A1 , A2 )
I We know that the following are possible equilibrium outcomes:
1. (A1 , A2 ), (A1 , A2 )
2. (A1 , A2 ), (C1 , C2 )
I We know that the following are possible equilibrium outcomes:
1. (A1 , A2 ), (A1 , A2 )
2. (A1 , A2 ), (C1 , C2 )
3. (C1 , C2 ), (A1 , A2 )
I We know that the following are possible equilibrium outcomes:
1. (A1 , A2 ), (A1 , A2 )
2. (A1 , A2 ), (C1 , C2 )
3. (C1 , C2 ), (A1 , A2 )
4. (C1 , C2 ), (C1 , C2 )
I We know that the following are possible equilibrium outcomes:
1. (A1 , A2 ), (A1 , A2 )
2. (A1 , A2 ), (C1 , C2 )
3. (C1 , C2 ), (A1 , A2 )
4. (C1 , C2 ), (C1 , C2 )
5. (B1 , B2 ), (C1 , C2 )
I We know that the following are possible equilibrium outcomes:
1. (A1 , A2 ), (A1 , A2 )
2. (A1 , A2 ), (C1 , C2 )
3. (C1 , C2 ), (A1 , A2 )
4. (C1 , C2 ), (C1 , C2 )
5. (B1 , B2 ), (C1 , C2 )
6. (C1 , B2 ), (C1 , C2 )
I We know that the following are possible equilibrium outcomes:
1. (A1 , A2 ), (A1 , A2 )
2. (A1 , A2 ), (C1 , C2 )
3. (C1 , C2 ), (A1 , A2 )
4. (C1 , C2 ), (C1 , C2 )
5. (B1 , B2 ), (C1 , C2 )
6. (C1 , B2 ), (C1 , C2 )
7. (B1 , C2 ), (C1 , C2 )
I We know that the following are possible equilibrium outcomes:
1. (A1 , A2 ), (A1 , A2 )
2. (A1 , A2 ), (C1 , C2 )
3. (C1 , C2 ), (A1 , A2 )
4. (C1 , C2 ), (C1 , C2 )
5. (B1 , B2 ), (C1 , C2 )
6. (C1 , B2 ), (C1 , C2 )
7. (B1 , C2 ), (C1 , C2 )
Example 1
Example 2
Lecture 18: Repeated Games
Example 1
Example 2
Consider the following repeated game and δ = 1
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (−1, 11) (−1, 11)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −1) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I The above game has two Nash equilibria (B1 , B2 ) and (C1 , C2 )
I The above game has two Nash equilibria (B1 , B2 ) and (C1 , C2 )
I Even though there are multiple Nash equilibria, there are no subgame perfect
equilibria in which (A1 , A2 ) is played in period 1
I The above game has two Nash equilibria (B1 , B2 ) and (C1 , C2 )
I Even though there are multiple Nash equilibria, there are no subgame perfect
equilibria in which (A1 , A2 ) is played in period 1
I Either (B1 , B2 ) or (C1 , C2 ) must be played after the history (A1 , A2 ) in period 1
since in the last period, always one of the stage game Nash equilibria must be
played.
Case 1:
11 + δ
11 + δ
I The key to this example was that players disagreed on which stage game NE is
better
I Even though there are multiple NE in the stage game, it may still be impossible to
achieve Pareto efficient action profiles in period 1
I The key to this example was that players disagreed on which stage game NE is
better
I Thus, at least one person always had an incentive to deviate away from (A1 , A2 )
in period 1
Lecture 18: Repeated Games
Example 1
Example 2
Lecture 18: Repeated Games
Example 1
Example 2
I Even if there is disagreement about which stage game NE is better between the
two players, we can still obtain examples of outcomes that are not Nash
equilibrium in the first period
I Even if there is disagreement about which stage game NE is better between the
two players, we can still obtain examples of outcomes that are not Nash
equilibrium in the first period
I Consider for example the following stage game and suppose we consider a twice
repeated game with discount factor δ > 12
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I The NE of the stage game are (B1 , B2 ) and (C1 , C2 )
I The NE of the stage game are (B1 , B2 ) and (C1 , C2 )
I no (if δ < 12 )!
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Is the above an SPNE?
I no (if δ < 12 )!
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
I Is the above an SPNE?
I no (if δ < 12 )!
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
I If he follows: u1 = 10 + 3δ
I Is the above an SPNE?
I no (if δ < 12 )!
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
I If he follows: u1 = 10 + 3δ
I If he defects: u1 = 11 + δ
I Is the above an SPNE?
I no (if δ < 12 )!
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
I If he follows: u1 = 10 + 3δ
I If he defects: u1 = 11 + δ
I Follows if δ ≥ 1
2
I Player 2:
I Player 2:
I If he follows: u2 = 10 + δ
I Player 2:
I If he follows: u2 = 10 + δ
I If he defects: u2 = 9 + 3δ
I Player 2:
I If he follows: u2 = 10 + δ
I If he defects: u2 = 9 + 3δ
I Follows if δ ≤ 1
2
I Player 2:
I If he follows: u2 = 10 + δ
I If he defects: u2 = 9 + 3δ
I Follows if δ ≤ 1
2
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I This is not a SPNE either because now player 1 has a definitive incentive to
deviate from (A1 , A2 ) in period 1
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
I This is not a SPNE either because now player 1 has a definitive incentive to
deviate from (A1 , A2 ) in period 1
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
I If he follows: u1 = 10 + δ
I This is not a SPNE either because now player 1 has a definitive incentive to
deviate from (A1 , A2 ) in period 1
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
I If he follows: u1 = 10 + δ
I If he defects: u1 = 11 + 3δ
I This is not a SPNE either because now player 1 has a definitive incentive to
deviate from (A1 , A2 ) in period 1
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
I If he follows: u1 = 10 + δ
I If he defects: u1 = 11 + 3δ
I Always defects
I So how do we construct a SPNE with (A1 , A2 ) played in period 1?
I So how do we construct a SPNE with (A1 , A2 ) played in period 1?
I The key here is to notice that player 2 does not need to be punished in period 2
from breaking the agreement in period 1
I So how do we construct a SPNE with (A1 , A2 ) played in period 1?
I The key here is to notice that player 2 does not need to be punished in period 2
from breaking the agreement in period 1
I The key here is to notice that player 2 does not need to be punished in period 2
from breaking the agreement in period 1
I In other words, need to be punished only if the player has a deviation that
benefits him myopically or in the short term
I Player 1 plays the following strategy:
1. A1 in period 1;
2. B1 in period 2 if player 1 played A1 ;
3. C1 in period 2 if player 1 played B1 or C1 .
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
I If he follows: u1 = 10 + 3δ
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
I If he follows: u1 = 10 + 3δ
I If he defects: u1 = 11 + δ
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
I If he follows: u1 = 10 + 3δ
I If he defects: u1 = 11 + δ
I Follows if δ ≥ 12
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
I If he follows: u1 = 10 + 3δ
I If he defects: u1 = 11 + δ
I Follows if δ ≥ 12
I Player 2:
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
I If he follows: u1 = 10 + 3δ
I If he defects: u1 = 11 + δ
I Follows if δ ≥ 12
I Player 2:
I If he follows: u2 = 10 + X δ
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
I If he follows: u1 = 10 + 3δ
I If he defects: u1 = 11 + δ
I Follows if δ ≥ 12
I Player 2:
I If he follows: u2 = 10 + X δ
I If he defects: u2 = 9 + X δ
Stage Game
A2 B2 C2
A1 (10, 10) (0, 9) (0, 9)
B1 (11, −1) (3, 1) (0, 0)
C1 (11, −2) (0, 0) (1, 3)
I Player 1:
I If he follows: u1 = 10 + 3δ
I If he defects: u1 = 11 + δ
I Follows if δ ≥ 12
I Player 2:
I If he follows: u2 = 10 + X δ
I If he defects: u2 = 9 + X δ
I Follows