A Game Theoretic Approach to Contracts in Multiagent Systems

Contracts are used to create new interaction pos-
sibilities among agents, and they therefore play an important
role in the game theoretic analysis of agent interaction. We use
normative multiagent systems to model both the contracts and the
interactions. In particular, we formalize contracts as systems of
regulative and constitutive norms within a larger rule-governed
setting, and using recursive modelling we develop a game theory
where agents make contracts. We show how agents can modify the
behavior of normative systems by means of constitutive rules in
the contract changing these systems, and we illustrate how agents
use the game theory within contract negotiation in organizations.