M-BEES and M-BEPS

Abstract

In one-sided matching settings such as school choice and task allocation, objects are allocated to agents based on agent preferences. However, agents may not always know, a priori, their preferences over the objects, because they do not have enough information. In this context, we experimentally investigate the question: How should a benevolent planner optimally reveal information to the agents to maximize welfare? To this end, we conduct an online experiment to test the theoretical predictions of Dasgupta (2020) who proposes recommendations, and identify behavioral explanations in case of a possible mismatch between model and behavior in the experiment.