Recently, the co-authored paper Ekici's Reclaim-Proof Allocations Revisited by Zhu Zhan, a master's student in Financial Econometrics at the School of Economics, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, was published in Journal of Mathematical Economics, an international Class II economics journal. The paper is based on Zhu Zhan's undergraduate thesis. Zhu Zhan is the corresponding author, and his co-author is Professor Tang Qianfeng, his undergraduate thesis advisor.
Abstract
We revisit the concept of reclaim-proof allocations proposed by Ekici (2013) for house allocation problems with existing tenants. As a concept of core, the definition of reclaim-proof allocations assumes that when a coalition blocks an allocation, an agent in the coalition is allowed to bring her allocated object into the coalition, even when it is privately owned by an outsider. We propose a new notion of core called the effectual core by restoring the feasibility of coalitional blocking in Ekici's definition. Our main result shows that the effectual core, while by definition weaker than reclaim-proofness, is actually equivalent to it. Together with Ekici's results, it is then immediate that an allocation is in the effectual core if and only if it is produced by the You Request My House–I Get Your Turn (YRMH-IGYT) mechanism (Abdulkadiroğlu and Sönmez, 1999) and if and only if it is a competitive allocation.
Author Biography
Zhu Zhan is a 2024 master's student in Financial Econometrics at the School of Economics, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and a 2020 undergraduate graduate in Mathematical Economics from the same School.
The School of Economics at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics thoroughly implements the cultivation philosophy of comprehensive development in knowledge, ability, and quality. Through multiple measures—such as strengthening basic theoretical education, emphasizing research methodology training, and building academic exchange platforms—it focuses on stimulating students' academic interest and innovative potential, cultivating their ability to conduct independent research, think critically, and explore frontier issues. It has formed a distinctive, highly effective, SUFE-style training model for high-level, innovative top economics talent.
