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Robust Algorithmic Collusion

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arxiv 2201.00345 v2 pith:TDCS2CUV submitted 2022-01-02 econ.GN q-fin.EC

classification econ.GNq-fin.EC
keywords collusioncollusivepoliciesrobustalgorithmicalgorithmsbehaviormake
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal
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This paper develops a formal framework to assess policies of learning algorithms in economic games. We investigate whether reinforcement-learning agents with collusive pricing policies can successfully extrapolate collusive behavior from training to the market. We find that in testing environments collusion consistently breaks down. Instead, we observe static Nash play. We then show that restricting algorithms' strategy space can make algorithmic collusion robust, because it limits overfitting to rival strategies. Our findings suggest that policy-makers should focus on firm behavior aimed at coordinating algorithm design in order to make collusive policies robust.

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Cited by 3 Pith papers

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score. Full citation record

  1. Shared Bidding Algorithms and Competition: Evidence from Electricity Markets

    econ.GN 2026-07 conditional novelty 8.0 of 10

    Shared autobidding providers cause rival batteries to forgo profitable dispatch that would hurt same-provider rivals, with an estimated weight near one on rivals' profits above ~30% near-margin capacity share.

  2. Algorithmic collusion under asynchronous price updating

    econ.TH 2026-08 conditional novelty 7.0 of 10

    Asynchrony in price updates hampers algorithmic collusion in simulated duopolies, except when algorithms monitor their competitor's current price.

  3. Auditing Algorithmic Collusion from Strategy Graphs

    econ.TH 2026-08 conditional novelty 6.0 of 10

    Maximum betweenness and attractor in-degree of strategy graphs correlate with algorithmic collusion across Q-learning policies, offering a benchmark-free detection screen.

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