Optimizing Recourse Under Predictive Multiplicity

Shahin Jabbari

Algorithmic recourse identifies modifications that can change an unfavorable model prediction into a favorable one. Under predictive multiplicity, similarly performing models can disagree on individual predictions, so recourse valid for one model may fail for another. We formulate robust recourse under predictive multiplicity as a budget-constrained minimization of the worst-case validity loss across a competing set of models, which can include models with different architectures or from different hypothesis classes. We propose an oracle-efficient algorithm called ORPM and prove sufficient conditions for its convergence. We evaluate ORPM on one synthetic and five real datasets, and competing sets consist of linear, neural, mixed, and decision-tree models. Our experiments show decreasing optimization-gap bounds and high validity in many tested settings, with favorable performance against baselines designed for specific model classes or architectures. We also quantify how requiring a common action across competing models changes recourse success at a given budget and examine disparities in this success across demographic groups.