Decentralized task coordination

We study decentralized task coordination. Tasks are of varying complexity and agents asymmetric: capable completing high-level tasks may also take on originally contracted by lower-level agents, facilitating system-wide cost reductions. suggest a family two-stage mechanisms, in which first announce preferred individual workloads then bargain over the induced joint savings. The second-stage negotiations depend first-stage announcements as specified through mechanism’s recognition function. characterize mechanisms that incentivize cost-effective allocation further single out particular mechanism, additionally ensures fair distribution