Coordination, Communication and Common Knowledge: A Retrospective on the Electronic Mail Game

23 Pages Posted: 26 Feb 2003

Date Written: February 2003

Abstract

Common knowledge plays an important role in coordination problems and coordination problems are central to many areas of economic policy. In this paper, I review some common knowledge puzzles culminating in the electronic mail game. These puzzles may seem distant from practical concerns. However, I then argue why insights derived from this literature are useful in interpreting empirical evidence of how people coordinate under uncertainty and in understanding the role of communication in coordinating behaviour.

Keywords: Common Knowledge, Coordination, Communication

JEL Classification: C72, D8

Suggested Citation

Morris, Stephen Edward, Coordination, Communication and Common Knowledge: A Retrospective on the Electronic Mail Game (February 2003). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=383620

Stephen Edward Morris (Contact Author)

MIT ( email )

77 Massachusetts Avenue
50 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https://economics.mit.edu/faculty/semorris

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