Strategic Bidding in Knapsack Auctions

This paper examines knapsack auctions as a method to solve the knapsack problem with incomplete information, where object values are private and sizes are public. We analyze three auction types-uniform price (UP), discriminatory price (DP), and generalized second price (GSP)-to determine efficient resource allocation in these settings. Using a Greedy algorithm for allocating objects, we analyze bidding behavior, revenue and efficiency of these three auctions using theory, lab experiments, and AI-enriched simulations. Our results suggest that the uniform-price auction has the highest level of truthful bidding and efficiency while the discriminatory price and the generalized second-price auctions are superior in terms of revenue generation. This study not only deepens the understanding of auction-based approaches to NP-hard problems but also provides practical insights for market design.