arXiv · 2511.22234
Edge-based reputation promotes cooperation in simplicial complexes
Abstract
Understanding how cooperation emerges and persists is a central challenge in the evolutionary dynamics of social and biological systems. Most prior studies have examined cooperation through pairwise interactions, yet real-world interactions often involve groups and higher-order structures. Reputation is a key mechanism for guiding strategic behavior in such contexts, but its role in higher-order networks remains underexplored. In this study, we introduce an edge-based reputation mechanism, incorporating both direct and indirect reputation, to investigate the evolution of cooperation in simplicial complexes. Our results show that coupling reputation mechanisms with higher-order network structures strongly promotes cooperation, with direct reputation exerting a stronger influence than indirect reputation. Moreover, we reveal a nonlinear interplay between network topology and reputation mechanisms, highlighting how multi-level structures shape collective outcomes. These findings provide a novel theoretical framework for understanding cooperation in complex social systems.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Explore connections, maps & timelines
Chunpeng Du, Fei Fang, Alfonso de Miguel-Arribas, Yikang Lu, Yanan Wang, Xin Pan, Yamir Moreno. 2025-11-27. Edge-based reputation promotes cooperation in simplicial complexes. https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.22234
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.