Coordination Games

Definition

Coordination games are a type of strategic interaction where players must coordinate their actions in order to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome. In these games, the players' interests are aligned, and the challenge lies in successfully coordinating their choices to reach the optimal solution.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. In coordination games, players have a shared interest in achieving a mutually beneficial outcome, but they must coordinate their actions to realize this outcome.
2. The presence of multiple equilibria in coordination games can lead to challenges in predicting which solution the players will coordinate on.
3. Focal points, or salient solutions, can help players in coordination games overcome the challenge of coordinating on a specific outcome.
4. Repeated interactions and communication between players can also facilitate coordination in coordination games.
5. Coordination games are often used to model real-world situations where individuals or groups must work together to achieve a common goal, such as in economic, social, or political contexts.

Review Questions

• Explain how the concept of a Nash equilibrium relates to coordination games.
  • In a coordination game, a Nash equilibrium represents a solution where each player's strategy is the best response to the other players' strategies, and no player has an incentive to deviate from their chosen strategy. This means that if all players coordinate on a Nash equilibrium solution, they will achieve the mutually beneficial outcome that they desire. The presence of multiple Nash equilibria in coordination games can make it challenging for players to successfully coordinate their actions.
• Describe how the concept of a collective action problem is connected to coordination games.
  • Coordination games are closely related to collective action problems, which arise when individuals in a group fail to coordinate their actions, leading to suboptimal outcomes for the group as a whole. In coordination games, the challenge is for players to overcome this collective action problem and successfully coordinate their strategies to achieve the mutually beneficial outcome. Factors such as the presence of focal points, repeated interactions, and communication can all play a role in helping players coordinate their actions and avoid the pitfalls of collective action problems.
• Evaluate the role of focal points in facilitating coordination in coordination games.
  • Focal points, or salient solutions, can be instrumental in helping players in coordination games overcome the challenge of coordinating on a specific outcome. By providing a clear, obvious, or natural choice for the players, focal points can increase the likelihood that they will coordinate their actions on that solution. This is particularly important in coordination games with multiple equilibria, where the presence of a focal point can help players converge on a mutually beneficial outcome. The effectiveness of focal points in facilitating coordination can depend on factors such as the context of the game, the players' shared understanding and experience, and the salience of the focal point itself.

Related terms

Nash Equilibrium: A Nash equilibrium is a solution in a coordination game where each player's strategy is the best response to the other players' strategies, and no player has an incentive to deviate from their chosen strategy.

Collective Action Problem: A collective action problem arises when individuals in a group fail to coordinate their actions, leading to suboptimal outcomes for the group as a whole.

Focal Point: A focal point is a solution in a coordination game that stands out as the obvious or natural choice for the players, making it more likely that they will coordinate on that solution.