Full revelation of expertise before disclosure

Abstract

We consider the communication of expertise in a disclosure game. A sender wants to persuade a receiver to take a high-value action. The sender has private information about her ability to acquire evidence, called her expertise. After the sender communicates her expertise through a cheap-talk message, she obtains some evidence that she can (partially) disclose or conceal. The receiver wants to take an action based on the true information. We demonstrate that the sender’s expertise can be fully revealed through pure cheap talk before the disclosure game. • A disclosure game in which a receiver does not know a sender’s expertise. • Before acquiring information, the sender communicates her expertise to the receiver. • The sender’s expertise can be fully revealed through pure cheap talk before the disclosure game.