The design of fair and efficient algorithms for allocating public resources, such as school admissions, housing, or medical
residency, has a profound social impact. In one-sided matching problems, where individuals are assigned to items based on
ranked preferences, a fundamental trade-off exists between efficiency and strategyproofness. Existing algorithms like Random
Serial Dictatorship (RSD), Probabilistic Serial (PS), and Rank Minimization (RM) capture only one side of this trade-off:
RSD is strategyproof but inefficient, while PS and RM are efficient but incentivize manipulation. We propose EMERGENT, a novel
application of Generative Flow Networks (GFlowNets) to one-sided matching, leveraging its ability to sample diverse, high-reward
solutions. In our approach, efficient and manipulation-resistant matches emerge naturally: high-reward solutions yield efficient
matches, while the stochasticity of GFlowNets-based outputs reduces incentives for manipulation. Experiments show that EMERGENT
outperforms RSD in rank efficiency while significantly reducing strategic vulnerability compared to matches produced by RM
and PS. Our work highlights the potential of GFlowNets for applications involving social choice mechanisms, where it is crucial
to balance efficiency and manipulability.
- Downloads
