Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/105557 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2012
Series/Report no.: 
School of Economics Discussion Papers No. 1202
Publisher: 
University of Kent, School of Economics, Canterbury
Abstract: 
An information-theoretic thought experiment is developed to clarify why the maximum entropy methodology is appropriate for predicting the equilibrium state of economic systems. As a first step, object allocation problems, modeled as knapsack problems, are shown to be equivalent to congestion games under weak assumptions. This proves the existence of finite improvement paths linking initial conditions and Nash equilibria. The existence of these improvement paths is precisely what enables the use of maximum entropy to make predictions concerning the equilibrium state. Finally an illustration of this predictive power is provided through an application to the Schelling model of segregation.
Subjects: 
Information entropy
knapsack problem
potential function
Schelling segregation.
JEL: 
C02
C11
C63
D80
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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