Cooperation conflicts with equality when allocating public goods

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Game Theory
• Network Science

Background:

• Cooperation is often considered the optimal outcome in social dilemmas.
• Research has focused on mechanisms like spatial structure to support cooperation and public goods production.
• Distribution rules for public goods significantly influence behavior and societal prosperity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of different public good allocation policies on cooperation and equality.
• To compare equitable allocation (returns proportional to contributions) with uniform allocation (equal shares).

Main Methods:

• Analysis of public good allocation policies in social networks.
• Comparison of equitable versus uniform allocation strategies.
• Theoretical analysis of cooperation and equality dynamics.
• Empirical validation across diverse social networks.

Main Results:

• Uniform allocation generally facilitates the spread of cooperation more than equitable allocation across most social networks.
• Uniform allocation leads to resource concentration in highly connected individuals, increasing inequality.
• Peripheral individuals may receive fewer benefits under uniform allocation, potentially worsening their situation.
• A conflict between cooperation and equality was identified across various empirical social networks.

Conclusions:

• Inequality can be an unavoidable consequence of cooperation-promoting allocation policies in heterogeneous populations.
• Policies fostering cooperation may inadvertently generate social stratification.
• Promoting cooperation requires balancing its benefits against the associated inequality.