Cooperation Strategy

Summary

Approaches to decision-making in repeated interactions that prioritize long-term mutual benefit over short-term exploitation.

Four Properties of Successful Cooperation (Axelrod)

1. Nice — Never defect first; prevents unnecessary conflict
2. Retaliatory — Respond to defection immediately; discourages exploitation
3. Forgiving — Return to cooperation when opponent does; restores mutual benefit
4. Clear — Be predictable and intelligible; elicits long-term cooperation

Best Known Example

Tit For Tat — the simplest strategy that won repeated prisoner's dilemma tournaments against 62 competitors.

Generous Variant

Occasionally forgivinging defections instead of always reciprocating them — proved even more effective in chaotic, noisy conditions.

See Also

• Tit For Tat
• Iterated Games
• Prisoners Dilemma