The Dynamics of Public Goods

We analyze the replicator equation for two games closely related with the social dilemma occurring in public goods situation. In one case, players can punish defectors in their group. In another case, they can choose not to take part in the game. In both cases, interactions are not pairwise and payoffs are nonlinear. Nevertheless, the qualitative dynamics can be fully analyzed. The games offer potential solutions for the problem of the emergence of cooperation in sizeable groups of non-related individuals - a basic question in evolutionary biology and economics.
KEYWORDS: Evolutionary game theory; Public goods games; Replicator dynamics

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