This paper presents a microeconomics-based equilibratory approach to a distributed resource allocation problem in a multi-agent system. In a multi-agent system, each agent has its own strategy to achieve its own objective. When a global objective function is given, a framework for reaching an overall desired state needs to be established. We call this type of framework Coordinated Balancing . Several microeconomic approaches previously proposed for resource allocation problems can be viewed as ways to achieve Coordinated Bal- ancing. They include a cooperative approach, where agents cooperate with each other to achieve a global objective, and a competitive ap- proach, where each agent tries to maximize its own utility. In contrast with these approaches, the proposed equilibratory approach reduces com- munication overhead by eliminating explicit cooperation and competition among agents. The proposed approach is evaluated through simulations where the global objective is to equalize resource utilizations.
['Kazuhiro Kuwabara', 'Toru Ishida']
Equilibratory Approach to Distributed Resource Allocation: Toward Coordinated Balancing