Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2003 / iii / Paper 37 / 4

A Nash bargaining problem consists of a compact convex set $S$ of feasible two-player payoff vectors and a disagreement point $d\in S$. If bargaining fails, the players receive $d$; agreement selects a feasible vector. The convex set allows jointly agreed correlated payoff lotteries over outcomes. Assume essentiality: some feasible vector strictly improves both coordinates of $d$. The admissible answers satisfy bargaining individual rationality, $u_i\ge d_i$.

The four characterizing axioms are Pareto efficiency (no feasible vector weakly improves both chosen payoffs and strictly improves one), bargaining symmetry (interchanging identical player roles leaves the answer unchanged), positive affine invariance in bargaining (independently replacing utilities by $a_i{u}_i+b_i$, $a_i>0$, transforms the answer by the same maps), and bargaining independence of irrelevant alternatives (restricting to an admissible smaller feasible set that still contains the chosen vector leaves the choice unchanged). The last axiom keeps the disagreement point fixed.

The arbitration procedure maximizes the Nash product over individually rational vectors:A maximizer exists by compactness and has positive gains by essentiality. It is unique, since the logarithm of the product is a strictly concave function of the two gains on their positive domain. The product is strictly increasing in either positive gain, giving Pareto efficiency. A positive affine utility change multiplies the product by $a_1{a}_2$, giving positive affine invariance in bargaining. Uniqueness gives bargaining symmetry and bargaining independence of irrelevant alternatives.

For completeness, these axioms also force the procedure. Normalize the product-maximizing vector to $(1,1)$ and $d$ to zero using positive affine invariance in bargaining. For any normalized feasible vector $z$, the directional derivative of the product along the feasible segment from $(1,1)$ to $z$ is $z_1+z_2-2$. The initial part of that segment has positive gains, so optimality implies $z_1+z_2\le 2$. Choose $M$ sufficiently large that the transformed feasible set is contained in the symmetric triangleOn this triangle, bargaining symmetry requires equal coordinates and Pareto efficiency then forces $(1,1)$. By bargaining independence of irrelevant alternatives, restricting from $T_M$ to the original normalized set still selects $(1,1)$. Undoing the normalization proves the Nash bargaining solution characterization. This is the supporting triangle for Nash bargaining argument.

For the numerical game, the maximin disagreement point is the vector of the players' separate security level payoffs. If player I uses its first action with probability $p$, its worst expected payoff isThe two lines meet at $p=1/4$; before that point the increasing second line is smaller and afterwards the decreasing first line is smaller. Hence $d_1=7/2$. If player II uses its first action with probability $q$, its worst payoff ismaximized at $q=1$, giving $d_2=4$. Thus $d=(7/2,4)$. These are separate worst-case guarantees; they need not equal the actual payoffs when both security strategies are used together.

The cooperative feasible set is the convex hull of the four outcome vectors. The outcomes $(2,4)$ and $(2,3)$ are dominated by $C=(4,5)$. Its Pareto frontier is the segment joining $C$ to $B=(8,2)$, with equation $y=8-3x/4$. Any maximizer of the positive Nash product is on this frontier. Bargaining individual rationality restricts its relevant portion to $4\le x\le 16/3$. There we maximizeThe stationary point lies strictly inside that interval and is the unique maximum. Therefore the Nash bargaining solution isThe gains are $11/12$ and $11/16$, with Nash product $121/192$. The arbitration can implement the vector by the agreed correlated payoff lottery assigning probability $5/48$ to outcome $B$ and $43/48$ to outcome $C$. Indeed $4+4(5/48)=53/12$ and $5-3(5/48)=75/16$. This is a correlated payoff lottery; independent mixed strategies are not required to implement the cooperative agreement.