Game Theory and Mathematical Economics Research Seminar
Lecturer:
Prof. Ariel Rubinstein (TAU)
Title:
Wasonian Persuasion (joint works with Kfir Eliaz)
Abstract:
A firm wishes to persuade a patient to take a drug by making either positive statements like “if you take our drug, you will be cured”, or negative statements like “anyone who was not cured did not take our drug”. Patients are neither Bayesian nor strategic: They use a decision procedure based on sampling past cases. We characterize the firm’s optimal statement, and analyze competition between firms making either positive statements about themselves or negative statements about their rivals. The model highlights that logically equivalent statements can differ in effectiveness and identifies circumstances favoring negative ads over positive ones.
Location:
Eilan Hall, Feldman Building, Second Floor, Edmond Safra Campus.