A Simple Model of Stability in Critical Mass Dynamics
Collective behaviors often spread via the self-reinforcing dynamics of critical mass. In collective behaviors with strongly self-reinforcing dynamics, incentives to participate increase with the number of participants, such that incentives are highest when the full population has adopted the behavio...
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer US
2017
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106992 |
| _version_ | 1811077680258351104 |
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| author | Centola, Damon |
| author2 | Sloan School of Management |
| author_facet | Sloan School of Management Centola, Damon |
| author_sort | Centola, Damon |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Collective behaviors often spread via the self-reinforcing dynamics of critical mass. In collective behaviors with strongly self-reinforcing dynamics, incentives to participate increase with the number of participants, such that incentives are highest when the full population has adopted the behavior. By contrast, when collective behaviors have weakly self-reinforcing dynamics, incentives to participate “peak out” early, leaving a residual fraction of non-participants. In systems of collective action, this residual fraction constitutes free riders, who enjoy the collective good without contributing anything themselves. This “free rider problem” has given rise to a research tradition in collective action that shows how free riding can be eliminated by increasing the incentives for participation, and thereby making cooperation strongly self-reinforcing. However, we show that when the incentives to participate have weakly self-reinforcing dynamics, which allow free riders, collective behaviors will have significantly greater long term stability than when the incentives have strongly self-reinforcing dynamics leading to full participation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:46:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/106992 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T10:46:51Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Springer US |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1069922022-09-30T22:57:50Z A Simple Model of Stability in Critical Mass Dynamics Centola, Damon Sloan School of Management Centola, Damon Collective behaviors often spread via the self-reinforcing dynamics of critical mass. In collective behaviors with strongly self-reinforcing dynamics, incentives to participate increase with the number of participants, such that incentives are highest when the full population has adopted the behavior. By contrast, when collective behaviors have weakly self-reinforcing dynamics, incentives to participate “peak out” early, leaving a residual fraction of non-participants. In systems of collective action, this residual fraction constitutes free riders, who enjoy the collective good without contributing anything themselves. This “free rider problem” has given rise to a research tradition in collective action that shows how free riding can be eliminated by increasing the incentives for participation, and thereby making cooperation strongly self-reinforcing. However, we show that when the incentives to participate have weakly self-reinforcing dynamics, which allow free riders, collective behaviors will have significantly greater long term stability than when the incentives have strongly self-reinforcing dynamics leading to full participation. 2017-02-17T23:23:46Z 2017-02-17T23:23:46Z 2013-01 2012-08 2016-05-23T12:17:02Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0022-4715 1572-9613 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106992 Centola, Damon. “A Simple Model of Stability in Critical Mass Dynamics.” J Stat Phys 151, no. 1–2 (January 5, 2013): 238–253. en http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10955-012-0679-3 Journal of Statistical Physics Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Springer Science+Business Media New York application/pdf Springer US Springer US |
| spellingShingle | Centola, Damon A Simple Model of Stability in Critical Mass Dynamics |
| title | A Simple Model of Stability in Critical Mass Dynamics |
| title_full | A Simple Model of Stability in Critical Mass Dynamics |
| title_fullStr | A Simple Model of Stability in Critical Mass Dynamics |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Simple Model of Stability in Critical Mass Dynamics |
| title_short | A Simple Model of Stability in Critical Mass Dynamics |
| title_sort | simple model of stability in critical mass dynamics |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106992 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT centoladamon asimplemodelofstabilityincriticalmassdynamics AT centoladamon simplemodelofstabilityincriticalmassdynamics |