Cooperation driven by success-driven group formation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a success-driven group formation mechanism in public goods games, showing that selective participation based on success thresholds can significantly enhance cooperation, even under conditions favoring defection.

Contribution

It proposes a novel success-based group formation protocol that improves cooperation levels in public goods games, contrasting with traditional all-involved models.

Findings

Success-driven group formation boosts cooperation.

Threshold-based participation outperforms full involvement.

Asymmetric strategy outcomes favor cooperators.

Abstract

In the traditional setup of public goods game all players are involved in every available groups and the mutual benefit is shared among competing cooperator and defector strategies. But in real life situations the group formation of players could be more sophisticated because not all players are attractive enough for others to participate in a joint venture. What if only those players can initiate a group formation and establish a game who are successful enough to the neighbors? To elaborate this idea we employ a modified protocol and demonstrate that a carefully chosen threshold to establish joint venture could efficiently improve the cooperation level even if the synergy factor would suggest a full defector state otherwise. The microscopic mechanism which is responsible for this effect is based on the asymmetric consequences of competing strategies: while the success of a cooperator provides a long-time well-being for the neighborhood, the temporary advantage of defection cannot be maintained if the protocol is based on the success of leaders.