Clustering in Large Networks Does Not Promote Upstream Reciprocity
2011
Clustering in Large Networks and Upstream Reciprocity
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Naoki Masuda
Primary Institution: The University of Tokyo
Hypothesis
Does clustering in large networks promote upstream reciprocity?
Conclusion
Clustering does little to promote cooperation in large networks, even when triangles are abundant.
Supporting Evidence
- Cooperation is less likely for larger population sizes even if triangles are abundant.
- Scale-free networks lead to less cooperation than networks with a homogeneous degree distribution.
Takeaway
The study looks at how connections in big groups of people affect their willingness to help each other. It finds that just having lots of connections doesn't really help people cooperate more.
Methodology
The study extends a model of upstream reciprocity to general networks and analyzes the conditions for cooperation.
Limitations
The model is not evolutionary and may not reflect real-world dynamics accurately.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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