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Parochial cooperation and the emergence of signalling norms

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  • Przepiorka, Wojtek
  • Andreas, Diekmann

Abstract

Why do people adorn themselves with elaborate body piercings or tattoos, wear obstructing garbs, engage in life-threatening competitions and other wasteful and harmful but socially stipulated practices? Norms of cooperation and coordination, which promote the efficient attainment of collective benefits, can be explained by theories of collective action. However, social norms prescribing wasteful and harmful behaviours have eluded such explanations. We argue that signalling theory constitutes the basis for the understanding of the emergence of such norms, which we call signalling norms. Signalling norms emerge as a result of the uncertainty about who is friend and who is foe. The need to overcoming this uncertainty arises when different groups compete for scarce resources and individuals must be able to identify, trust and cooperate with their fellow group members. After reviewing the mechanisms that explain the emergence of cooperation and coordination norms, we introduce the notion of signalling norms as markers of group distinction. We argue that adherence to signalling norms constitutes a commitment promoting parochial cooperation rather than a quality-revealing signal facilitating partner choice. We formalize our argument in a game-theoretic model that allows us to specify the boundary conditions for the emergence of signalling norms. Our paper concludes with a discussion of potential applications of our model and a comparison of signalling norms with related concepts.

Suggested Citation

  • Przepiorka, Wojtek & Andreas, Diekmann, 2021. "Parochial cooperation and the emergence of signalling norms," SocArXiv 9tg2f, Center for Open Science.
  • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:9tg2f
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/9tg2f
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ethan Holdahl & Jiabin Wu, 2023. "Institutional Screening and the Sustainability of Conditional Cooperation," Papers 2311.02813, arXiv.org.
    2. Gavrilets, Sergey & Tverskoi, Denis & Sánchez, Angel, 2023. "Modeling social norms: an integration of the norm-utility approach with beliefs dynamics," SocArXiv n934a, Center for Open Science.
    3. Andreas Diekmann, 2022. "Emergence of and compliance with new social norms: The example of the COVID crisis in Germany," Rationality and Society, , vol. 34(2), pages 129-154, May.
    4. Yufei Wang & Mangirdas Morkūnas & Jinzhao Wei, 2024. "Strategic Synergies: Unveiling the Interplay of Game Theory and Cultural Dynamics in a Globalized World," Games, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-25, June.

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