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Theorem

Holmstrom's Theorem

Game Theory

Holmstrom's theorem, in economics, is an impossibility result attributed to Bengt Holmstrom showing that no incentive scheme for a team of agents can simultaneously guarantee that total payments to the team equal total output, that the scheme has a Nash equilibrium, and that the resulting outcome is Pareto efficient.

Facts
Statement
no incentive system for a team of agents can make all of the following true: income equals outflow, the system has a Nash equilibrium, and the system is Pareto efficient 2
Proof Year
1982 2
Classification
Statement Form
Impossibility Theorem 1
Connections

Has Statement Form

Sources
1. Wikipedia: Holmström's theorem
WikipediaLead section, statement-form reference
Quote, Lead section, statement-form reference
In economics, Holmström's theorem is an impossibility theorem or trilemma attributed to Bengt R.
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2. Holmstrom's theorem - Wikipedia
  • Lead section
    Holmström proving that no incentive system for a team of agents can make all of the following true: Income equals outflow (the budget balances), The system has a Nash equilibrium, and The system is Pareto efficient.
  • References section
    Bengt Holmstrom, "Moral Hazard in Teams", The Bell Journal of Economics 13, no. 2 (1982), pp. 324-340.
  • In Group: Economic Theory, Lead paragraph
    In economics, Holmström's theorem is an impossibility theorem or trilemma attributed to Bengt R.
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