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Ripple Effects: Robust Norms without Punishment

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  • Alistair Barton

Abstract

I propose a novel, tractable model of pro-social norms in large communities with slightly altruistic agents. Agents participate in the norm to influence others to participate in the norm, influencing further agents. A continuum of equilibria sustain the pro-social norm, varying in the distribution of how much agents are influenced by their observations. If agents' effective altruism $\alpha$ is larger than their impatience $1-\delta$, equilibria exist that are robust to a population of bad actors. Greater strategic homogeneity increases the robustness of the norm. Robustness is not improved by increasing the number of observers of each action beyond 1.

Suggested Citation

  • Alistair Barton, 2026. "Ripple Effects: Robust Norms without Punishment," Papers 2609.06151, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2609.06151
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    File URL: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.06151
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