Punish or Perish? Retaliation and Collaboration among Humans

A spate of recent investigations on reciprocation and social enforcement in humans has brought together (and sometimes divided) economists, psychologists, anthropologists, social scientists and evolutionary biologists, as well as neurologists and students of animal behaviour. Experimental work on public goods and social incentives has addressed a wealth of questions on the emotional and cognitive (proximal) factors, as well as on the genetic and cultural (ultimate) evolutionary mechanisms involved in this essential aspect of human nature. This article surveys recent work, highlighting the role of punishment and reward in joint enterprises.

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