Summer Research Projects

Game-theory and Cooperative Outcomes
Matthew Chiasson

“Why is there less crime in small towns as opposed to big cities? Why does the peleton of a cycling race slow down to let a fallen competitor catch up? How does our society maintain altruistic norms such as leaving tips? At the surface these social phenomena appear to be quite unrelated, and yet they can all be studied under the common lens of repeated games! In a one-time interaction between strangers, each individual may have an incentive to deviate from a social norm - "Why should I leave a tip if I'll never see this person again?" However, if there is a sufficiently large chance that these individuals will interact again in the future, cooperative behavior can emerge from fear of future punishment. This summer I am developing a game-theoretic framework which promotes such cooperative outcomes even in very large populations. It's a really great project for me since I get to blend my training in Math and Economics to solve problems.”