Sense making and information in an agent-based model of cooperation

Abstract

This paper studies the profile of cooperation emerging in a context in which agents may choose to join one of two groups or stay on their own, in a world where similarity across peers matters. In particular, we investigate the role of heterogeneity in individual contributions, of the level of information and of in-group processes of convergence in values (sense making) in fostering higher levels of cooperation, assessed through higher participation rates to groups. Starting from the result that more heterogeneity reduces participation, we show that increasing the level of information available to subjects and activating sense-making dynamics are able to support higher cooperation levels, which, however, come at the cost of increased radicalization of agent types within group.