We study algorithms and models for several economics-related problems from the perspective of linear programming. In network bargaining games, stable and balanced outcomes have been investigated in previous work. However, existence of such outcomes requires that the linear program relaxation of a certain maximum matching problem has integral optimal solution. We propose an alternative model for network bargaining games in which each edge acts as a player, who proposes how to split the weight of the edge among the two incident nodes. We show that the distributed protocol by Kanoria et. al can be modified to be run by the edge players such that the configuration of proposals will converge to a pure Nash Equilibrium, without the linear program integrality gap assumption. Moreover, ambiguous choices can be resolved in a way such that there exists a Nash Equilibrium that will not hurt the social welfare too much. In the oblivious matching problem, an algorithm aims to find a maximum matching while it can only makes (random) decisions that are essentially oblivious to the input graph. Any greedy algorithm can achieve performance ratio 0:5, which is the expected number of matched nodes to the number of nodes in a maximum matching. We revisit the Ranking algorithm using the linear programming framework, where the constraints of the linear program are given by the structural properties of Ranking. We use continuous linear program relaxation to analyze the limiting behavior as the finite linear program grows. Of particular interest are new duality and complementary slackness characterizations that can handle monotone constraints and mixed evolving and boundary constraints in continuous linear program, which enable us to achieve a theoretical ratio of 0:523 on arbitrary graphs. The J-choice K-best secretary problem, also known as the (J;K)-secretary problem, is a generalization of the classical secretary problem. An algorithm for the (J;K)-secretary problem is allowed to make J choices and the payoff to be maximized is the expected number of items chosen among the K best items. We use primal-dual continuous linear program techniques to analyze a class of infinite algorithms, which are general enough to capture the asymptotic behavior of the finite model with large number of items. Our techniques allow us to prove that the optimal solution can be achieved by a (J;K)-threshold algorithm, which has a nice \rational description" for the case K = 1. / published_or_final_version / Computer Science / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This thesis presents several problems based on papers written jointly by the author and Dr. Christian-Oliver Ewald. Firstly, the author extends the model presented by Fershtman and Nitzan (1991), which studies a deterministic differential public good game. Two types of volatility are considered. In the first case the volatility of the diffusion term is dependent on the current level of public good, while in the second case the volatility is dependent on the current rate of public good provision by the agents. The result in the latter case is qualitatively different from the first one. These results are discussed in detail, along with numerical examples. Secondly, two existing lines of research in game theoretic studies of fisheries are combined and extended. The first line of research is the inclusion of the aspect of predation and the consideration of multi-species fisheries within classical game theoretic fishery models. The second line of research includes continuous time and uncertainty. This thesis considers a two species fishery game and compares the results of this with several cases. Thirdly, a model of a fishery is developed in which the dynamic of the unharvested fish population is given by the stochastic logistic growth equation and it is assumed that the fishery harvests the fish population following a constant effort strategy. Explicit formulas for optimal fishing effort are derived in problems considered and the effects of uncertainty, risk aversion and mean reversion speed on fishing efforts are investigated. Fourthly, a Dixit and Pindyck type irreversible investment problem in continuous time is solved, using the assumption that the project value follows a Cox-Ingersoll- Ross process. This solution differs from the two classical cases of geometric Brownian motion and geometric mean reversion and these differences are examined. The aim is to find the optimal stopping time, which can be applied to the problem of extracting resources.