Optimal control policies for evolutionary dynamics with environmental feedback

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Paarporn, Keith, Eksin, Ceyhun, Weitz, Joshua S., Wardi, Yorai
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2018
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author Paarporn, Keith
Eksin, Ceyhun
Weitz, Joshua S.
Wardi, Yorai
author_facet Paarporn, Keith
Eksin, Ceyhun
Weitz, Joshua S.
Wardi, Yorai
contents We study a dynamical model of a population of cooperators and defectors whose actions have long-term consequences on environmental "commons" - what we term the "resource". Cooperators contribute to restoring the resource whereas defectors degrade it. The population dynamics evolve according to a replicator equation coupled with an environmental state. Our goal is to identify methods of influencing the population with the objective to maximize accumulation of the resource. In particular, we consider strategies that modify individual-level incentives. We then extend the model to incorporate a public opinion state that imperfectly tracks the true environmental state, and study strategies that influence opinion. We formulate optimal control problems and solve them using numerical techniques to characterize locally optimal control policies for three problem formulations: 1) control of incentives, and control of opinions through 2) propaganda-like strategies and 3) awareness campaigns. We show numerically that the resulting controllers in all formulations achieve the objective, albeit with an unintended consequence. The resulting dynamics include cycles between low and high resource states - a dynamical regime termed an "oscillating tragedy of the commons". This outcome may have desirable average properties, but includes risks to resource depletion. Our findings suggest the need for new approaches to controlling coupled population-environment dynamics.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_1803_06737
institution arXiv
publishDate 2018
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Optimal control policies for evolutionary dynamics with environmental feedback
Paarporn, Keith
Eksin, Ceyhun
Weitz, Joshua S.
Wardi, Yorai
Systems and Control
We study a dynamical model of a population of cooperators and defectors whose actions have long-term consequences on environmental "commons" - what we term the "resource". Cooperators contribute to restoring the resource whereas defectors degrade it. The population dynamics evolve according to a replicator equation coupled with an environmental state. Our goal is to identify methods of influencing the population with the objective to maximize accumulation of the resource. In particular, we consider strategies that modify individual-level incentives. We then extend the model to incorporate a public opinion state that imperfectly tracks the true environmental state, and study strategies that influence opinion. We formulate optimal control problems and solve them using numerical techniques to characterize locally optimal control policies for three problem formulations: 1) control of incentives, and control of opinions through 2) propaganda-like strategies and 3) awareness campaigns. We show numerically that the resulting controllers in all formulations achieve the objective, albeit with an unintended consequence. The resulting dynamics include cycles between low and high resource states - a dynamical regime termed an "oscillating tragedy of the commons". This outcome may have desirable average properties, but includes risks to resource depletion. Our findings suggest the need for new approaches to controlling coupled population-environment dynamics.
title Optimal control policies for evolutionary dynamics with environmental feedback
topic Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.06737