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Forecast Dispersion in Finite-Player Forecasting Games

  • Jin Yeub Kim EMAIL logo and Myungkyu Shim
Published/Copyright: January 18, 2018

Abstract

We study forecast dispersion in a finite-player forecasting game modeled as an aggregate game with payoff externalities and dispersed information. In the game, each agent cares about being accurate as well as about the distance of his forecast from the average forecast; and with a finite number of agents, the agents can strategically influence that average. We show that the finiteness of the number of agents weakens the strategic effect induced by the underlying preference. We find that when each agent prefers to be close to the average forecast, the presence of strategic manipulation of the average forecast contributes to a higher forecast dispersion; when instead each agent wants to be distinctive from the average, the opposite is true.

JEL Classification: C72; D82; D83; E37

Acknowledgements

We appreciate the very helpful suggestions from two anonymous referees. We also thank many for helpful comments and discussions, in particular, Lars Stole, Wilbert van der Klaauw, Jaeok Park, and the seminar participants at Michigan State University, Sogang University, Yonsei University, the Fall 2014 Midwest Economic Theory Conference, the 84th Annual Meetings of the Southern Economic Association, and the 11th World Congress of the Econometric Society.

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Published Online: 2018-01-18

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