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An Empirical Framework for Discrete Games with Costly Information Acquisition

Youngjae Jeong

arXiv 22 Oct 2025 · Econometrics

arXiv:2510.19140 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text

Abstract

This paper develops a novel econometric framework for static discrete choice games with costly information acquisition. In traditional discrete games, players are assumed to perfectly know their own payoffs when making decisions, ignoring that information acquisition can be a strategic choice. In the proposed framework, I relax this assumption by allowing players to face uncertainty about their own payoffs and to optimally choose both the precision of information and their actions, balancing the expected payoffs from precise information against the information cost. The model provides a unified structure to analyze how information and strategic interactions jointly determine equilibrium outcomes. The model primitives are point identified, and the identification results are illustrated through Monte Carlo experiments. The empirical application of the U.S airline entry game shows that the low-cost carriers acquire less precise information about profits and incur lower information costs than other airlines, which is consistent with their business model that focuses on cost efficiency. The analysis highlights how differences in firms' information strategies can explain observed heterogeneity in market entry behavior and competition.

Citation extraction

34
references
116
in-text mentions
34
distinct cited
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self-citations
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main-text words

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Most heavily cited references

The works this paper leans on most, across its whole bibliography — not restricted to papers in our corpus. Ranked by composite intensity, which combines how often a work is mentioned, how many sections mention it, and how much of that falls in the main text rather than the appendix.

ReferenceIntensityMentionsSectionsMain text
1Aradillas-Lopez, A (2010) Semiparametric estimation of a simultaneous game with incomplete information1.00093100%
2Ciliberto, F. and E. Tamer (2009) Market structure and multiple equilibria in airline markets1.00074100%
3Tamer, E (2003) Incomplete simultaneous discrete response model with multiple equilibria1.00073100%
4Bajari, P., H. Hong, J. Krainer, and D. Nekipelov (2010) Estimating static models of strategic interactions1.00053100%
5Seim, K (2006) An empirical model of firm entry with endogenous product-type choices1.00053100%
6Matejka, F. and A. McKay (2015) Rational inattention to discrete choices: A new foundation for the multinomial logit model0.874112100%
7Bresnahan, T. F. and P. C. Reiss (1991) Empirical models of discrete games0.87452100%
8Koh, P. S (2023) Stable outcomes and information in games: An empirical framework0.87452100%
9Magnolfi, L. and C. Roncoroni (2022) Estimation of discrete games with weak assumptions on information0.87452100%
10Yang, M (2015) Coordination with flexible information acquisition0.87452100%

Showing the top 10 of 34 scored citations.