Global cooperation often falters despite shared objectives, as misaligned interests and unequal incentives undermine collective efforts, such as those in international climate change collaborations. To tackle this issue, this paper introduces a multi-level game-theoretic model to analyze the dynamics of complex interactions within hierarchical systems. The model consists of global, local, and pairwise games, and two strategy types, binary and level-based strategies, are explored under varying parameter conditions. Using computational simulations and numerical analysis, we examine how factors across different levels influence player decisions, game dynamics and population phase transitions during the evolutionary process. Our findings reveal that although the increase of profit rates at local and pairwise games enhances cooperation within the population, the global game exerts minimal influence on player decisions and population states under both strategy settings. Particularly, analytical and simulation results show that, under binary strategies, global profit does not influence localized decision-making of players, while under level-based strategies, players cooperating at the global level are eventually outcompeted due to the evolutionary disadvantage even when global profit is substantial. These insights contribute to a theoretical understanding of cooperation dynamics in multi-level systems and may offer implications for fostering global collaboration on challenges like climate change.
We study cooperation problems in broadcast and relay networks, where the receivers do not satisfy the classical physical degradedness assumptions. New notions of degradedness, \emph{strongly less noisy} and \emph{strongly more capable} are introduced. We show that under these conditions, decode and forward (D\&F) is optimal for classes of cooperative systems with limited conference rates, thus yielding new capacity results for these systems. In particular, we derive bounds on the capacity region of a class of broadcast channels with cooperation, that are tight on part of the capacity region. It is shown that the cut-set bound is tight for classes of primitive relay and diamond channels, beyond the physically or stochastically degraded models.
Cooperation and competition coexist and coevolve in natural and social systems. Cooperation generates resources, which in turn, drive non-cooperative competition to secure individual shares. How this complex interplay between cooperation and competition shapes the evolution of social dilemmas and welfare remains unknown. In this study, we introduce a two-layer evolutionary game model, in which one layer is a cooperative public goods game, and the other is a competitive involution game, with cross-layer feedback linking the two. We find that feedback can either promote or inhibit cooperation, depending on the baseline conditions. For example, moderate resource and synergy factor values can promote social welfare when feedback strength is large. This provides an approach to adjusting the strength and asymmetry of cross-layer feedback to promote cooperation and social welfare. We thus emphasize the importance of managing feedback mechanisms to balance cooperation and competition in complex social systems.
Jurgis Karpus, Risako Shirai, Julia Tovar Verba
et al.
Abstract People are keen to exploit cooperative artificial agents for selfish gain. While this phenomenon has been observed in numerous Western societies, we show here that it is absent in Japan. We examined people’s willingness to cooperate with artificial agents and humans in two classic economic games requiring a choice between self interest and mutual benefit. Our participants in the United States cooperated with artificial agents significantly less than they did with humans, whereas participants in Japan exhibited equivalent levels of cooperation with both types of co-player. We found a notable difference in how people felt about exploiting their cooperative partner: people in Japan emotionally treated artificial agents and humans alike, whereas people in the United States felt bad about exploiting humans, but not machines. Our findings underscore the necessity for nuanced cultural considerations in the design and implementation of such technology across diverse societies
Context and purpose:This study was conducted to study the performance of agricultural and industrial cooperatives in Zanjan province in the competitive market space.Methodology/approach:In this study, 157 agricultural cooperatives and 93 industrial cooperatives out of a total of 265 agricultural and 123 industrial active cooperatives were selected and analyzed by stratified sampling method. To assess the appropriateness of the competitiveness indicators of cooperative enterprises, four indices including economic, social-cultural, managerial and infrastructural-institutional indicators were examined and evaluated.Findings and conclusions:The results of this study showed that among the surveyed indicators, economic and infrastructure indicators play a more important role in the competitiveness of cooperative enterprises with an average value of 3.37 and 3.36, respectively. In addition, in terms of socio-cultural and managerial indicators, the challenges for industrial cooperatives are more than agricultural cooperatives, while infrastructure and institutional challenges are more in agricultural cooperatives compared to industrial cooperatives. In planning and policy sub-indicators; knowledge and awareness, experience and expertise; industrial cooperatives have more problems than agricultural cooperatives. Forming cooperatives, marketing, commercializing, modifying the law to comprehensively support cooperatives, enhancing culture in the society, creating and enhancing social capital and improving investment security and private investment play an important role in the competitiveness of agricultural and industrial cooperatives.Originality/innovationPrevious studies have examined the status of agricultural or industrial cooperative enterprises, but this study simultaneously investigates and compares the situation of these enterprises in terms of competitiveness.
hojatollah Paknahad, hamed dehghanan, Ali Naghavi
et al.
Context and purpose. The aim of this study was to analyze and prioritize indicators of cooperation based on trust in the cooperative sector of an urban economy from the perspective of members of consumer cooperatives in Lorestan province.Methodology/approach. This study was conducted based on a quantitative approach using survey method. The research population consisted of members of the top consumer cooperatives in Lorestan province, including members of the board of directors, inspectors, CEOs, members and shareholders of 11 consumer cooperatives. For this purpose, a questionnaire was distributed and collected among 385 people using stratified sampling method. Data were analyzed confirmatory factor analysis.Findings and conclusions. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that all components have an acceptable factor loading in relation to the latent variables of the research. The results of Friedman test showed that the priority of the effect of each research structure in the cooperation model based on the trust of Iranian cultural cooperatives is different. Indicators, in order of impact, from high to low, including effectiveness and efficiency, customer orientation and satisfaction, resources and financial status, trust requirements, prospects, cooperative pathology, rules and regulations, interaction and cooperation, diverse services and the requirements for forming a cooperative were identified.Originality. The current research was conducted in order to prioritize the identified behavioral, organizational and structural factors that affect trust-based cooperation in the cooperative sector. In this regard, the present study tries to direct the attention of the policy makers and planners of the country's cooperative economy to the identified indicators and their priority.
This research was carried out with the aim of analyzing the situation of rural cooperative companies in Kermanshah province and based on the social network analysis methodology to identify the weaknesses and strengths of the companies by comparing the top companies with the normal ones. Its statistical population includes members of the board of directors, CEO and inspectors and experts of 20 rural cooperative companies in Kermanshah province. After in-depth library studies, the main tool for collecting the required data and information was a questionnaire made by the researcher, Findings of correlation coefficient of organizational dynamics (r =0.31), sense of belonging and empathy (r =0.28), behavioral style (r =0.35), social level (r =0.32), social trust (r =0.30), social participation (r =0.32) and social relations (r =0.37) with the cooperatives’ performance were positive and meaningful. The results of variance analysis showed that these variables had a significant effect on the performance of cooperatives and were able to predict about 59.6% of the performance changes of both groups of cooperatives under study. Also, the effect of the mentioned variables on the performance of the company was different between successful and unsuccessful cooperatives. The current research had a different view on the category of rural cooperatives. It analyzed the structure of the social network as a new topic in these institutions and takes into account its current situation. In addition, it compares the state of relations and social network in two superior or successful and unsuccessful cooperative groups in the studied area.
In many circumstances where multiple, autonomous actors exist, cooperation is only a viable strategy if other actors also pursue a strategy of cooperation. Such situations can be characterised in terms of the Stag Hunt, based on a parable told by Rousseau. Although traditionally interpreted as a device for understanding how mutually beneficial cooperation can emerge, Harrison Wagner points out that would-be exploiters must overcome similar problems to succeed at subjugating others. Successful cooperation may have the ironic consequence of enabling deeper conflict within and between a multiplicity of societies. Despite its canonical status, the importance of the Stag Hunt for understanding the interaction between multiple societies may have been underestimated. Nonetheless, rational choice theory alone cannot explain how cooperation-for-predation became established, while historical sociology’s conventional ‘materialist metanarrative’ of the origin of war and the state may have unduly neglected the role of gender relations. The phenomenon of men’s secret societies, found in many stateless societies, indicates that fraternal solidarity within coalitions of men competing to control women’s labour and bodies may provide a path to the nucleation of warlike states. If this is correct, it becomes clear that in many societies, men and women experience multiplicity in qualitatively different ways.
Reputation-based cooperation on social networks offers a causal mechanism between graph properties and social trust. Recent papers on the `structural microfoundations` of the society used this insight to show how demographic processes, such as falling fertility, urbanisation, and migration, can alter the logic of human societies. This paper demonstrates the underlying mechanism in a way that is accessible to scientists not specialising in networks. Additionally, the paper shows that, when the size and degree of the network is fixed (i.e., all graphs have the same number of agents, who all have the same number of connections), it is the clustering coefficient that drives differences in how cooperative social networks are.
In this work, we ask for and answer what makes classical temporal-difference reinforcement learning with epsilon-greedy strategies cooperative. Cooperating in social dilemma situations is vital for animals, humans, and machines. While evolutionary theory revealed a range of mechanisms promoting cooperation, the conditions under which agents learn to cooperate are contested. Here, we demonstrate which and how individual elements of the multi-agent learning setting lead to cooperation. We use the iterated Prisoner's dilemma with one-period memory as a testbed. Each of the two learning agents learns a strategy that conditions the following action choices on both agents' action choices of the last round. We find that next to a high caring for future rewards, a low exploration rate, and a small learning rate, it is primarily intrinsic stochastic fluctuations of the reinforcement learning process which double the final rate of cooperation to up to 80%. Thus, inherent noise is not a necessary evil of the iterative learning process. It is a critical asset for the learning of cooperation. However, we also point out the trade-off between a high likelihood of cooperative behavior and achieving this in a reasonable amount of time. Our findings are relevant for purposefully designing cooperative algorithms and regulating undesired collusive effects.
Ali Houshangi, Azam Rezaee, farshid Eshraghi
et al.
This study aimed to evaluate the Factors Affecting the Technical Efficiency of Agricultural Production Cooperatives in Golestan Province by using the data envelopment analysis method with a product-oriented approach and constant and variable returns to scale. The required data was obtained in the field and by completing a questionnaire and interviewing the managers of 36 agricultural production cooperatives active in Golestan province in 2020. To evaluate the technical efficiency, the Tobit regression model has also been used to investigate the factors affecting performance. The results show that the average technical efficiency of the surveyed cooperatives under the conditions of fixed returns and variable returns to the scale is almost equal; Therefore, agricultural production cooperatives in Golestan province are faced with a high level of scale efficiency. The results show that 69% of companies have fixed returns, 25% have descending returns and 6% have upward returns to the scale of production. The results of the study of factors affecting technical efficiency also indicate that the age variable has a negative and significant effect on performance. Also, the asset variable has a positive and significant effect on efficiency. The average values of technical and managerial efficiency show that it is possible to increase the output by 13% with the same amount of input. It is necessary to increase the efficiency of production cooperatives by supporting young people and using them in the field of production and providing the necessary funds for companies.
How cooperation emerges in human societies is both an evolutionary enigma, and a practical problem with tangible implications for societal health. Population structure has long been recognized as a catalyst for cooperation because local interactions enable reciprocity. Analysis of this phenomenon typically assumes bi-directional social interactions, even though real-world interactions are often uni-directional. Uni-directional interactions -- where one individual has the opportunity to contribute altruistically to another, but not conversely -- arise in real-world populations as the result of organizational hierarchies, social stratification, popularity effects, and endogenous mechanisms of network growth. Here we expand the theory of cooperation in structured populations to account for both uni- and bi-directional social interactions. Even though directed interactions remove the opportunity for reciprocity, we find that cooperation can nonetheless be favored in directed social networks and that cooperation is provably maximized for networks with an intermediate proportion of directed interactions, as observed in many empirical settings. We also identify two simple structural motifs that allow efficient modification of interaction directionality to promote cooperation by orders of magnitude. We discuss how our results relate to the concepts of generalized and indirect reciprocity.
Social capital as a set of relationships based on trust does not exist within a person or a social structure, but takes shape within the space between people. The present study has been developed to examine the impact of social capital on the quality of life of Cooperative activists. In this study we have utilized the correlational method with an applied purpose. We have collected data using two questionnaires on social capital and life quality. Social capital weakness of Cooperative activists has reduced the quality of life of these individuals. The social capital in the present research has been divided in two cognitive and structural dimensions. The cognitive dimension deals with the intangible part such as values, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors and social norms; and the structural dimension of social capital involves the structures and nets comprising collective decision-making and mutual responsibility processes. People with a history of weakness of Cooperative activists in life suffer from social isolation and their quality of life is severely reduced as well and in case of increasing the cognitive dimension of social capital, their quality of life will also be improved. There is a significant relation between the structural dimension of social capital and quality of life of Cooperative activists. Due to isolation in the community and lack of connection with other people, Cooperative Members will be severely limited in terms of the structural social capital; consequently, their quality of life will be greatly reduced as well.
jalal olfati, Hassan Rangriz, Kumars Ahmadi
et al.
The purpose of this research is to study and identify the factors influencing the success of productive cooperatives companies in Kermanshah province. This research follows a qualitative methodology and the subjects of the study are university specialists who have a close relationship with cooperatives sector, as well as specialists in cooperatives, labor and social welfare office along with some of the managers of cooperatives companies in Kermanshah. The sampling was purposeful and 12 people were selected as the population of the study. To collect data, interview was used and to analyze it theme analysis was carried out. The results of the analysis revealed that the effective factors on the success of productive cooperative companies in Kermanshah were personal, managerial, economic, social-cultural and educational. The researcher suggests that the managing directors of the companies should be chosen from among people with managing abilities and technical skills and experience. Based on the findings of the research and identification of the role of economic factors, the shortage of financial resources and the difficulty to use bank credits and facilities, are among the obstacles in developing cooperatives and emphasizing long Term and productive investment
Farina sadat Saei, Ghader Dashti, Javad Hosseinzad
et al.
The purpose of this study is evaluate and compare technical efficiency of water users association by the approach of the stochastic frontier production function in Maragheh county. Accordingly, for scientific and real understanding of the performance of these associations, the efficiency of productive units is considered. In order to perform this study, the required data were collected through a questionnaire from 147 farmers of Maragheh County. To achieve the aim of this research, stochastic frontier production function was used in which farmers was a function of seed variables, nitrogen fertilizer, phosphate fertilizer and water. Results showed which average efficiency of producing in wheat fields of the sample is 78.9%. So on these farms with available inputs, there is an average of 21.1% chance to increasing the production. Based on the results, it is observed that in a stochastic frontier production function, nitrogen fertilizers,hosphate fertilizers, water and wheat seeds Variables have a significant effect on wheat production. Also Variables such as age, education, participation in extension courses, marriage and cultivating have a significant effect on technical efficiency. Between studied cases, Varjoy water users association, with average efficiency about 83.07%, has the highest technical efficiency. Therefore, participation in extension courses, adopting measures on land integration and benefiting from the experiences of successful Water Users Association will be an important step towards increasing the efficiency of the Water Users Association studied.
The article discusses the purpose, objectives, features, value the need to create consumer societies, and the Union of Consumer Societies. The principles of operation and characteristics of the consumer society.
Mohammad Sharif Sharifzadeh, Mahdy yazdani, Gholamhossein Abdollahzadeh
et al.
The aim of this research was to compare the management of entrepreneurial supply chain in rural production cooperatives and joint-stock farming companies of North Khorasan province. The statistical population of the research included 4500 shareholders and members of 14 active companies. Sampling was performed in a multi-stage conducted and the sample size was determined using Cochran's formula (n=356). To collect the data, a researcher-made questionnaire was used. The content and formal validity of the questionnaire were established by an expert panel and its reliability confirmed based on Cronbach's alpha coefficient for different components (0.702 to 0.851). According to Friedmann's test results, the components of social network management, financial and investment management have the highest rank, and marketing and sales management, innovation, and technology acquisition management components have the lowest rank in the entrepreneurial supply chain of cooperatives and joint-stock companies, respectively. The correlation test showed that there is a significant positive relationship between all components of the entrepreneurial supply chain of the companies. Among them, the highest correlation was attained between the components of financial management and investment and sales and marketing management (0.679**) in cooperative companies and between the components of distribution management and production management (0.344**) in joint-stock companies. The results of the mean comparison test showed that production cooperatives performed better than joint-stock companies in conducting the components of input management, production management and marketing and sales management.