The Evolution of Cooperation in Structured Populations

Author: Knudsen T.

Source: Constitutional Political Economy, Volume 13, Number 2, June 2002 , pp. 129-148(20)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

The present paper analyses the evolution of costly cooperation in a multi-group population. Building on insights first developed in modern biology the idea of viscous population equilibria is introduced (a population is said to be viscous when a (sub)population of players is spatially or genetically clustered). A simple model then analyses how the combined effect of viscosity within multiple subgroups and different levels of between-group segregation influences the evolution of cooperation. The results suggest that a key issue in the evolution of cooperation is the shifting balance between the need to protect cooperators and propagation of the tendency to cooperate.

Keywords: viscosity; multi-group selection; structured populations; population dynamics

Language: English

Document Type: Regular paper

Affiliations: 1: Department of Marketing, School of Business and Economics, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark tok@sam.sdu.dk

Publication date: 2002-06-01