Dear Economist,
When invited to dinner, I am often unsure whether to bring good wine. If I take an expensive bottle, it may go unappreciated - either through lack of appreciation or people not seeing what I've brought. Taking plonk means I can get a free ride on others' largesse, but my tightfistedness could get rumbled - what do you recommend?
Alex, Geneva
Dear Alex,
A simple bit of game theory will produce the optimal strategy. If this is a repeated interaction with people who know their wine, it's best to produce a good bottle. Reciprocity for your generosity will make this a good approach in the long run.
You will need to work out whether your dining partners do indeed understand wine. That is easy enough. Bring them something decent and see if they remark upon it. Then observe what they bring the next time you dine together. If your dinners are isolated invitations, or your hosts know nothing about wine, you may cheat with impunity. In short, vary your actions according to circumstance.
There is a deeper point here, though. You need to establish what is giving your fellow diners their utility - good wine, or the pleasure of one-upmanship? My fellow columnist, the economist John Kay, points out that economists "win" gift exchanges by spending less than everyone else, but most people "win" gift exchanges by spending more.
If your fellow diners are economists, then my analysis will apply. Otherwise, as the sole economically minded diner, make sure your wine is a little less assuming than everyone else's. Everyone is happy, you save money and they feel smug. The moral: never forget to look for gains from trade.
亲爱的经济学家，
当应邀参加宴会时，我老是拿不准是否该带瓶好酒。如果我带一瓶很贵的酒，可能没人领情--要么因为别人不会欣赏，要么是没有人注意到我带的是什么酒。带一瓶劣质葡萄酒，意味着我可以利用别人的慷慨，但我的吝啬也会被人嘀咕--你有什么建议吗？
亚历克斯(Alex)，日内瓦
亲爱的亚历克斯，
用一点简单的博弈论知识就能找出最佳策略。如果这是懂酒的人之间一个经常性的活动，最好带上瓶好酒。从长期角度看，你的慷慨所带来的互惠是一个很好的策略。
你必须了解与你一起进餐的人是否真正懂酒。这十分容易。带一些比较好的酒，看他们是否加以评论。然后观察下次聚餐时他们会带什么酒。如果你的宴会都是一些互不相干的邀请，或是主人根本就不懂酒，你就可以放心地作弊。简言之，你可以根据场合采取不同的做法。
不过，还有更深层的一点。你需要确定一起用餐的人更看重什么--好酒，还是高人一等的愉悦感？英国《金融时报》另一位专栏作家、经济学家约翰•凯(John Kay)指出，经济学家以比别人都少的支出在礼物交换中"胜出"，而大多数人则以更多的支出"取胜"。
如果是经济学家和你一起用餐，那么我的分析就会适用。否则的话，作为唯一有经济学头脑的就餐者，你应该确保自己带的酒比其他人略逊一筹。每个人都感到高兴，你省了钱，而他们也会自鸣得意。这里的教训是：永远别忘了从交易中获利。
关键字:双语新闻
生词表:
When invited to dinner, I am often unsure whether to bring good wine. If I take an expensive bottle, it may go unappreciated - either through lack of appreciation or people not seeing what I've brought. Taking plonk means I can get a free ride on others' largesse, but my tightfistedness could get rumbled - what do you recommend?
Alex, Geneva
Dear Alex,
A simple bit of game theory will produce the optimal strategy. If this is a repeated interaction with people who know their wine, it's best to produce a good bottle. Reciprocity for your generosity will make this a good approach in the long run.
You will need to work out whether your dining partners do indeed understand wine. That is easy enough. Bring them something decent and see if they remark upon it. Then observe what they bring the next time you dine together. If your dinners are isolated invitations, or your hosts know nothing about wine, you may cheat with impunity. In short, vary your actions according to circumstance.
There is a deeper point here, though. You need to establish what is giving your fellow diners their utility - good wine, or the pleasure of one-upmanship? My fellow columnist, the economist John Kay, points out that economists "win" gift exchanges by spending less than everyone else, but most people "win" gift exchanges by spending more.
If your fellow diners are economists, then my analysis will apply. Otherwise, as the sole economically minded diner, make sure your wine is a little less assuming than everyone else's. Everyone is happy, you save money and they feel smug. The moral: never forget to look for gains from trade.
亲爱的经济学家，
当应邀参加宴会时，我老是拿不准是否该带瓶好酒。如果我带一瓶很贵的酒，可能没人领情--要么因为别人不会欣赏，要么是没有人注意到我带的是什么酒。带一瓶劣质葡萄酒，意味着我可以利用别人的慷慨，但我的吝啬也会被人嘀咕--你有什么建议吗？
亚历克斯(Alex)，日内瓦
亲爱的亚历克斯，
用一点简单的博弈论知识就能找出最佳策略。如果这是懂酒的人之间一个经常性的活动，最好带上瓶好酒。从长期角度看，你的慷慨所带来的互惠是一个很好的策略。
你必须了解与你一起进餐的人是否真正懂酒。这十分容易。带一些比较好的酒，看他们是否加以评论。然后观察下次聚餐时他们会带什么酒。如果你的宴会都是一些互不相干的邀请，或是主人根本就不懂酒，你就可以放心地作弊。简言之，你可以根据场合采取不同的做法。
不过，还有更深层的一点。你需要确定一起用餐的人更看重什么--好酒，还是高人一等的愉悦感？英国《金融时报》另一位专栏作家、经济学家约翰•凯(John Kay)指出，经济学家以比别人都少的支出在礼物交换中"胜出"，而大多数人则以更多的支出"取胜"。
如果是经济学家和你一起用餐，那么我的分析就会适用。否则的话，作为唯一有经济学头脑的就餐者，你应该确保自己带的酒比其他人略逊一筹。每个人都感到高兴，你省了钱，而他们也会自鸣得意。这里的教训是：永远别忘了从交易中获利。
关键字:双语新闻
生词表:
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