Commitment Problems and Bargaining Failure: Experimental Evidence

David H. Clark
Binghamton University

William Reed
University of Maryland

Timothy Nordstrom
University of Mississippi

Daniel J Siegel
Independent

2014

APSA 2014 Annual Meeting Paper

Abstract:

Bargaining models of war point to two major causes of conflict: asymmetric information, and commitment problems. This paper focuses on the commitment problem, and specifically on how responsive bargainers are to expected changes in win probabilities.

Our goal is to evaluate whether bargainers can identify commitment problems – in lab experiments, we examine subjects’ choices between bargaining and fighting, given shifts in win probabilities and costs.

Commitment Problems and Bargaining Failure- Experimental Evidence