Year: 2025
Type: preprint
Abstract: We extend the notion of combinatorial discrepancy to \emph{non-additive} functions. Our main result is an upper bound of $O(\sqrt{n \log(nk)})$ on the non-additive $k$-color discrepancy when $k$ is a prime power. We demonstrate two applications of this result to problems in fair division. First, we establish a bound for a consensus halving problem, where fairness is measured by the minimum number of items that must be transferred between the two parts to eliminate envy. Second, we improve the upper bound on the total subsidy required to achieve an envy-free allocation when the number of agents is a prime power, obtaining an $O(n \sqrt{n \log n})$ bound. This constitutes the first known subquadratic guarantee in this setting.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: la Tour, Max Dupre, Fujii, Kaito
Language: English
Subfield: Economics and Econometrics
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4415252558
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