Group-Level Imitation May Stabilize Cooperation
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866908305140482048 |
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| author | Bousseyroux, Pierre Zérah, Gilles Benzaquen, Michael |
| author_facet | Bousseyroux, Pierre Zérah, Gilles Benzaquen, Michael |
| contents | Stabilizing cooperation among self-interested individuals presents a fundamental challenge in evolutionary theory and social science. While classical models predict the dominance of defection in social dilemmas, empirical and theoretical studies have identified various mechanisms that promote cooperation, including kin selection, reciprocity, and spatial structure. In this work, we investigate the role of localized imitation in the evolutionary dynamics of cooperation within an optional Public Goods Game (PGG). We introduce a model where individuals belong to distinct groups and adapt their strategies based solely on comparisons within their own group. We identify different dynamical regimes, including stable fixed points, limit cycles, and Rock-Scissors-Paper-type oscillations. Our analysis, grounded in a replicator-type framework, reveals that such group-level imitation can stabilize cooperative behavior, provided that groups are not initially polarized around a single strategy. In other words, restricting imitation to group-level interactions mitigates the destabilizing effects of global competition, providing a potential explanation for the resilience of cooperation in structured populations. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_05086 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Group-Level Imitation May Stabilize Cooperation Bousseyroux, Pierre Zérah, Gilles Benzaquen, Michael Physics and Society Statistical Mechanics Theoretical Economics Stabilizing cooperation among self-interested individuals presents a fundamental challenge in evolutionary theory and social science. While classical models predict the dominance of defection in social dilemmas, empirical and theoretical studies have identified various mechanisms that promote cooperation, including kin selection, reciprocity, and spatial structure. In this work, we investigate the role of localized imitation in the evolutionary dynamics of cooperation within an optional Public Goods Game (PGG). We introduce a model where individuals belong to distinct groups and adapt their strategies based solely on comparisons within their own group. We identify different dynamical regimes, including stable fixed points, limit cycles, and Rock-Scissors-Paper-type oscillations. Our analysis, grounded in a replicator-type framework, reveals that such group-level imitation can stabilize cooperative behavior, provided that groups are not initially polarized around a single strategy. In other words, restricting imitation to group-level interactions mitigates the destabilizing effects of global competition, providing a potential explanation for the resilience of cooperation in structured populations. |
| title | Group-Level Imitation May Stabilize Cooperation |
| topic | Physics and Society Statistical Mechanics Theoretical Economics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.05086 |