Abstract
The continuously stable strategy (CSS) concept, originally developed as an intuitive static condition to predict the dynamic stability of a monomorphic population, is shown to be closely related to classical game-theoretic dominance criteria when applied to continuous strategy spaces. Specifically, for symmetric and non symmetric two-player games, a CSS in the interior of the continuous strategy space is equivalent to neighborhood half-superiority which, for a symmetric game, is connected to the half-dominance and/or risk dominance concepts. For non symmetric games where both players have a one-dimensional continuous strategy space, an interior CSS is shown to be given by a local version of dominance solvability (called neighborhood dominance solvable). Finally, the CSS and half-superiority concepts are applied to points in the bargaining set of Nash bargaining problems.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Apaloo J (1997) Revisiting strategic models of evolution: the concept of neighborhood invader strategies. Theor Pop Biol 52: 71–77
Binmore K, Samuelson L, Young P (2003) Equilibrium selection in bargaining models. Games Econ Behav 45: 296–328
Christiansen FB (1991) On conditions for evolutionary stability for a continuously varying character. Am Nat 138: 37–50
Cressman R (1996) Frequency-dependent stability for two-species interactions. Theor Pop Biol 49: 189–210
Cressman R (2003) Evolutionary dynamics and extensive form games. MIT Press, Cambridge
Cressman R (2004) Coevolution, adaptive dynamics, and the replicator equation for a single species with a continuous strategy space. Mimeo
Cressman R (2005) Stability of the replicator equation with continuous strategy space. Math Soc Sci 50: 127–147
Cressman R, Hofbauer J (2005) Measure dynamics on a one-dimensional continuous strategy space: theoretical foundations for adaptive dynamics. Theor Pop Biol 67: 47–59
Cressman R, Hofbauer J, Riedel F (2006) Stability of the replicator equation for a single-species with a multi-dimensional continuous trait space. J Theor Biol 239: 273–288
Dieckmann U, Law R (1996) The dynamical theory of coevolution: a derivation from stochastic ecological processes. J Math Biol 34: 579–612
Dindoš M, Mezzetti C (2006) Better-reply dynamics and global convergence to Nash equilibrium in aggregative games. Games Econ Behav 54: 261–292
Eshel I (1983) Evolutionary and continuous stability. J Theor Biol 103: 99–111
Eshel I, Sansone E (2003) Evolutionary and dynamic stability in continuous population games. J Math Biol 46: 445–459
Eshel I, Motro U, Sansone E (1997) Continuous stability and long-term convergence. J Theor Biol 185: 333–343
Friedman D (2001) Towards evolutionary game models of financial markets. Quant Finance 1: 177–185
Fudenberg D, Levine DK (1998) The theory of learning in games. MIT Press, Cambridge
Garay J (2007) Adaptive dynamics based on ecological stability. In: Jorgensen S, Quincampoix M, Vincent TL (eds) Advances in dynamic game theory, Annals of the international society of dynamic games, vol 9. Birkhäuser, Boston, pp 271–286
Heifetz A, Shannon C, Spiegel Y (2007) What to maximize if you must. J Econ Theory 133: 31–57
Harsanyi JC, Selten R (1988) A general theory of equilibrium selection in games. MIT Press, Cambridge
Hofbauer J, Sigmund K (1990) Adaptive dynamics and evolutionary stability. Appl Math Lett 3: 75–79
Hofbauer J, Sigmund K (1998) Evolutionary games and population dynamics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Hofbauer J, Oechssler J, Riedel F (2005) Brown-von Neumann-Nash dynamics: the continuous strategy case. Mimeo
Kajii A, Morris S (1997) The robustness of equilibria to incomplete information. Econometrica 65: 1283–1309
Kandori M, Rob R (1998) Bandwagon effects and long run technology choice. Games Econ Behav 22: 30–60
Kandori M, Mailath GJ, Rob R (1993) Learning, mutation, and long-run equilibria in games. Econometrica 61: 29–56
Leimar O (2005) The evolution of phenotypic polymorphism: randomized strategies versus evolutionary branching. Am Nat 165: 669–681
Leimar O (2008) Multidimensional convergence stability and the canonical adaptive dynamics. In: Dieckmann U, Metz JAJ (eds) Elements of adaptive dynamics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (in press)
Lessard S (1990) Evolutionary stability: one concept, several meanings. Theor Pop Biol 37: 159–170
Marrow P, Dieckmann U, Law R (1996) Evolutionary dynamics of predator–prey systems: an ecological perspective. J Math Biol 34: 556–578
Maynard Smith J (1982) Evolution and the theory of games. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Meszéna G, Kisdi É, Dieckmann U, Geritz SAH, Metz JAJ (2001) Evolutionary optimisation models and matrix games in the unified perspective of adaptive dynamics. Selection 2: 193–210
Morris S, Rob R, Shin HS (1995) Dominance and belief potential. Econometrica 63: 145–157
Moulin H (1984) Dominance-solvability and Cournot stability. Math Soc Sci 7: 83–102
Oechssler J, Riedel F (2001) Evolutionary dynamics on infinite strategy spaces. Econ Theory 17: 141–162
Oechssler J, Riedel F (2002) On the dynamics foundation of evolutionary stability in continuous models. J Econ Theory 107: 223–252
Osborne MJ, Rubinstein A (1990) Bargaining and markets. Academic Press, San Diego
Oyama D (2002) p-Dominance and equilibrium selection under perfect foresight dynamics. J Econ Theory 107: 288–310
Samuelson L (1997) Evolutionary games and equilibrium selection. MIT Press, Cambridge
Samuelson L, Zhang J (1992) Evolutionary stability in asymmetric games. J Econ Theory 59: 363–391
Young P (1993) The evolution of conventions. Econometrica 61: 57–84
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
R. Cressman thanks the referee for pointing out further connections between neighborhood superiority and other dominance concepts in the literature. This research was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Individual Discovery Grant.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cressman, R. Continuously stable strategies, neighborhood superiority and two-player games with continuous strategy space. Int J Game Theory 38, 221–247 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00182-008-0148-z
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00182-008-0148-z