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The evolution of cooperation by social exclusion
Tatsuya Sasaki1, Satoshi Uchida
1Evolution and Ecology Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Schlossplatz 1, 2631 Laxenburg, Austria. sasakit@iiasa.ac.at
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|December 11, 2012
Summary
Social exclusion effectively prevents freeriders from exploiting cooperative systems. This strategy works even when costly, overcoming limitations of traditional punishment models in evolutionary cooperation.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary game theory
- Social dynamics
- Behavioral economics
Background:
- Traditional models of cooperation often rely on costly peer punishment, which faces challenges like the rarity of punishers and the emergence of 'second-order' freeriders.
- Real-world scenarios demonstrate the exclusion of individuals who benefit without contributing (freeriders) from shared resources or social acceptance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and analyze a game-theoretical model of social exclusion as a mechanism for promoting cooperation.
- To investigate whether social exclusion can overcome the inherent difficulties associated with costly punishment in evolutionary models.
Main Methods:
- Development of a game-theoretical model simulating social exclusion dynamics.
- Analysis of the model's outcomes under varying conditions, including costly and stochastic exclusion.
Main Results:
- Social exclusion can successfully prevent freerider exploitation and maintain cooperation, even when exclusion incurs costs or is unpredictable.
- The model demonstrates that social exclusion is effective without necessitating genetic relatedness, repeated interactions, reputation, or group selection.
Conclusions:
- Social exclusion offers a robust mechanism for fostering cooperation by denying benefits to non-cooperators.
- The presence of a limited number of freeriders is sufficient to prevent 'second-order' freeriders from undermining cooperative systems through social exclusion.
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