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Symmetric Mechanisms for Matching Problems with Two Sides


Основні поняття
The core message of this paper is to introduce a general notion of fairness for matching mechanisms, called symmetry, which encompasses different levels of fairness within and across the two sets of agents. The authors prove several possibility and impossibility results involving symmetry, stability, and resoluteness of matching mechanisms.
Анотація

The paper focuses on the basic one-to-one two-sided matching model, where there are two disjoint sets of agents of equal size, and each agent in a set has preferences on the agents in the other set, modeled by linear orders. The goal is to find a matching that associates each agent in one set with one and only one agent in the other set based on the agents' preferences.

The authors introduce the concept of symmetric matching mechanisms, which relates to fairness. A matching mechanism is symmetric if a change in the identities of the individuals results in the same change in the output. The authors consider different levels of symmetry, such as anonymity (equal treatment within each group) and gender fairness (equal treatment across the two groups).

The main results include:

  1. If the size of one set is odd, then there exists a resolute and gender fair matching mechanism. If the size is even, then there exists no resolute and gender fair matching mechanism.
  2. There exists no resolute, symmetric, and minimally optimal matching mechanism.
  3. There exists no resolute, symmetric, and stable matching mechanism.
  4. When the size of one set is 2, there exists a resolute, symmetric, and stable matching mechanism. When the size is at least 3, there exists no such mechanism.
  5. There exists a resolute, symmetric, and weakly Pareto optimal matching mechanism.

The authors use notions and techniques from group theory to prove these results, which is a novel approach in matching theory.

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Ключові висновки, отримані з

by Daniela Bubb... о arxiv.org 04-03-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.01404.pdf
Symmetric mechanisms for two-sided matching problems

Глибші Запити

What are some practical applications of symmetric matching mechanisms, and how could they be implemented in real-world scenarios

Symmetric matching mechanisms have practical applications in various fields such as college admissions, labor markets, auction markets, and kidney donor matching. In the context of college admissions, a symmetric mechanism could be implemented to match students with universities based on their preferences. This could ensure fairness and equity in the allocation process. In labor markets, a symmetric mechanism could be used to match job seekers with employers, taking into account their preferences and skills. In auction markets, a symmetric mechanism could facilitate fair and efficient allocation of goods and services to bidders. In the context of kidney donor matching, a symmetric mechanism could help match donors with recipients in a way that maximizes compatibility and fairness. Implementing symmetric matching mechanisms in real-world scenarios would involve designing algorithms or mechanisms that consider the preferences of all parties involved and aim to find stable and fair matchings. This could involve collecting preference data from individuals, running algorithms to determine optimal matchings, and ensuring that the final allocations are stable and satisfy the symmetry property. Real-world implementation would also require considering practical constraints such as computational efficiency, scalability, and the specific requirements of the application domain.

How could the concept of symmetry be extended to matching problems with more than two sides or with different agent preferences (e.g., cardinal preferences)

The concept of symmetry in matching problems can be extended to scenarios with more than two sides or with different agent preferences by adapting the definition of symmetry to accommodate the additional complexities. In cases with more than two sides, the symmetry property could be defined to ensure that no group of agents is favored over others based on their identities or characteristics. This could involve creating matching mechanisms that treat all sides equally and ensure a balanced allocation of resources. When dealing with different agent preferences, the concept of symmetry could be extended to consider not just the identities of the agents but also their preferences and priorities. This could involve developing mechanisms that take into account the diverse preferences of agents and aim to find matchings that are fair and optimal for all parties involved. By incorporating the concept of symmetry into matching problems with varying preferences, it is possible to promote fairness and equity in the allocation process.

Are there any connections between the symmetry properties explored in this paper and other fairness notions, such as envy-freeness or proportionality, that are commonly studied in the context of resource allocation problems

There are connections between the symmetry properties explored in the paper and other fairness notions such as envy-freeness and proportionality. Envy-freeness, which ensures that no agent prefers the allocation of another agent over their own, can be related to symmetry by considering how the symmetry property impacts the envy-freeness of matchings. A symmetric matching mechanism that satisfies envy-freeness could ensure that all agents are treated fairly and no agent feels disadvantaged in the allocation. Proportionality, which ensures that each agent receives a fair share of the resources, can also be linked to symmetry in matching problems. By incorporating symmetry into the allocation process, it is possible to design mechanisms that not only provide stable and optimal matchings but also ensure that the allocations are proportional and equitable for all agents involved. The symmetry property can be used to enhance the fairness and efficiency of matching mechanisms by considering a broader range of fairness criteria beyond stability and optimality.
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