Doctoral Dissertation Research: Social Network Effects on Coordination and Cooperation

在这个项目中，主要研究者将调查社会网络对协调和合作的影响。虽然大多数现有的工作提供了关于群体规模对协调和合作的影响的见解，但我们研究了群体结构的作用。首先，我们将分析一个协调博弈的实验室实验，在这个博弈中，每个参与者都与一个外生连接的？玩家群体的子集，定义社交网络的连接模式。我们将解决的主要研究问题是社会网络结构如何影响协调行为？我们从全球网络（整体网络的密度）和本地网络（个体的连通性）中确定影响协调的来源。在我们的实验中，在所有实验室网络中，完全协调和不协调都是池均衡，而在一种情况下，也存在分离均衡，即玩家只有在拥有足够数量的本地社会联系时才会进行协调。在一项初步研究中，我们观察到在较密集的网络中几乎完全协调，而在较稀疏的网络中则不完全协调。通过实验室公共物品博弈，研究社会网络架构对合作的影响。我们的研究重点是网络结构对均衡中的公平和社会福利的影响。为了分析从实验中收集的数据，我们将应用各种统计技术，包括非参数方法和logit回归（根据个体异质性进行调整）。就更广泛的影响而言，本研究考察了社会网络如何决定？谁和谁玩游戏？，影响协调与合作的结果。我们的研究结果可以指导互联网服务和平台提供商开发有效的在线社交网络来推广服务和产品，并帮助政策制定者寻求有效的网络布局，以促进对社会有益的商品或活动的传播。拟议研究的成果将公开供研究和教育使用，不收取任何费用。

In this project the Principal investigators will investigate the social network effects on coordination and cooperation. While most existing work provides insights on the influence of group size on coordination and cooperation, we examine the role of group structure. First we will analyze a laboratory experiment on a coordination game in which each player engages with an exogenously connected ?local? subset of the player population, the pattern of connections defining a social network. The main research question we will address is How does the social network structure affect coordination behavior? We identify sources of influence on coordination from both global network (the density of overall network) and local network (the connectedness of individuals). In our experiment, both full-coordination and no-coordination are pooling equilibria in all laboratory networks, while in one case there is also a separating equilibrium, where players coordinate only if they have an enough number of local social links. In a pilot study we observe nearly complete coordination in denser networks but less so in sparser networks. Via a laboratory public goods game, we will study the impact of social network architecture on cooperation. Our research foci are the fairness and social welfare in equilibria as affected by network configurations. To analyze the data collected from experiments, we shall apply various statistical techniques including nonparametric methods and logit regressions (adjusted to individual heterogeneity). In terms of broader impacts, this research examines how the social network, which determines ?who plays the game with whom?, affects the outcome of coordination and cooperation. Our results might guide Internet service and platform providers in developing effective online social networks to promote service and products, and assist policy makers in seeking for efficient network layouts to facilitate the spread of goods or activities that are socially beneficial. The products of the proposed study will be made publicly available for research and educational uses at no cost.