Ethan Holdahl

I am a Visiting Assistant Professor at Williams College where I teach Intermediate Microeconomics and Game Theory. My research is primarily in experimental economics and game theory when I look at how different designs affect the evolution of behavior in populations. I completed my PhD at the University of Oregon in 2023 and am on the job market for the 2024-2025 cycle.

Job Market Paper

Testing the Efficacy of Stepping Stone Equilibria in Coordination Games

Games with multiple equilibria introduce the potential for populations to get stuck in inefficient outcomes. In theory, the introduction of additional equilibria, "stepping stones", could pave the way for a smoother and less risky transition. I run a lab experiment to test if the introduction of these “stepping stones”, can facilitate transitions from an inefficient but safe equilibrium to a risky, payoff dominant equilibrium. I employ different payoffs for the transition strategy and examine the effects that different degrees of information about the game have on group's play. I find evidence that adding these "stepping stones" does help populations transition to the efficient equilibria. I also find that when groups have more information about each other's payoffs they are able to transition to the efficient equilibria faster and are less prone to cyclical behavior.