Publications

Beyond the Carrot and Stick Approach to Enforcement: An Agent-Based Model

Publication Type:

Conference Paper

Authors:

Giulia Andrighetto; Daniel Villatoro

Source:

European Conference on Cognitive Science, New Bulgarian University Press, Sofia (2011)

ISBN:

978-954-535-660-5

Keywords:

Norms; Punishment; Self-organization;

Abstract:

As specified by Axelrod in his seminal work An Evolutionary
Approach to Norms (Axelrod, 1986), punishment is a key
mechanism to achieve the necessary social control and to enforce
social norms in a self-regulated society. In this paper,
we distinguish between two enforcing mechanisms, punishment
and sanction, focusing on the specific ways in which they
favour the emergence and maintenance of cooperation. In particular,
by punishment we refer to a practice that works only
by imposing a cost, while by sanction we indicate a practice
that also signals the existence of a norm and that its violation
is not condoned. To achieve this, we have developed a normative
agent able both to punish and sanction offenders and to
be affected by these enforcing mechanisms itself.The results
obtained through agent-based simulation show that sanction is
more effective and makes the population more resilient to sudden
changes than mere punishment.

Projects: 
EVE
MacNorms
»