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Power and corruption
Francisco Úbeda1, Edgar A Duéñez-Guzmán
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Tennessee 37996, USA. fubeda@utk.edu
Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|November 25, 2010
Summary
Corruption can surprisingly maintain cooperation in social groups. When punishers have power and act corruptly, cooperation persists, challenging previous assumptions about costly punishment.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Behavioral economics
- Social psychology
Background:
- Cooperation is common, but its evolutionary basis is puzzling.
- Punishment is thought to maintain cooperation, but only when it's cost-free.
- Previous models overlooked corrupt punishers and power dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how corruption and power asymmetries affect cooperation.
- To develop a general game model incorporating these factors.
- To re-evaluate the role of costly punishment in social systems.
Main Methods:
- Formulation of a general game model.
- Analysis of scenarios with corrupt punishers.
- Inclusion of power asymmetries between individuals.
Main Results:
- Cooperation can persist when powerful punishers act corruptly.
- Costly punishment can be beneficial for social groups under specific conditions.
- Power dynamics significantly influence the maintenance of cooperation.
Conclusions:
- Corruption, when wielded by powerful punishers, can be a mechanism for maintaining cooperation.
- This finding offers new interpretations for social insect behavior and human psychology.
- The study suggests corruption can benefit societies by fostering cooperation.
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