Dynamic Multi-Activity Contests

Abstract

We develop a model of dynamic multi-activity contests. Players simultaneously choose efforts in long-run activities, observe each other's efforts in these activities, and then simultaneously choose efforts in short-run activities. A player's long-run and short-run efforts complement each other in determining the player's probability of winning. We compare the outcomes of this two-stage model to those of the corresponding model in which players choose efforts in all activities simultaneously. Interestingly, effort expenditures are always lower in the sequential multi-activity contest than in the simultaneous multi-activity contest. The implications of this result for the organization of military, litigation, innovation, academic, and sporting contests are highlighted. © 2012 The editors of The Scandinavian Journal of Economics.