Axelrod, Robert : University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Robert Axelrod is the Arthur W. Bromage Distinguished University Professor of Political Science and Public Policy
at the University of Michigan. His work on cooperation and norms has received awards from the American Association
for the Advancement of Science, the American Political Science Association, the MacArthur Foundation, and the National
Academy of Sciences.
Summary
Robert Axelrod is widely known for his groundbreaking work in game theory and complexity theory. He is a leader
in applying computer modeling to social science problems. His book The Evolution of Cooperation has been hailed
as a seminal contribution and has been translated into eight languages since its initial publication. The Complexity
of Cooperation is a sequel to that landmark book. It collects seven essays, originally published in a broad range
of journals, and adds an extensive new introduction to the collection, along with new prefaces to each essay and
a useful new appendix of additional resources. Written in Axelrod's acclaimed, accessible style, this collection
serves as an introductory text on complexity theory and computer modeling in the social sciences and as an overview
of the current state of the art in the field. The articles move beyond the basic paradigm of the Prisoner's Dilemma
to study a rich set of issues, including how to cope with errors in perception or implementation, how norms emerge,
and how new political actors and regions of shared culture can develop. They use the shared methodology of agentbased
modeling, a powerful technique that specifies the rules of interaction between individuals and uses computer simulation
to discover emergent properties of the social system. The Complexity of Cooperation is essential reading for all
social scientists who are interested in issues of cooperation and complexity
Table of Contents
List of Tables and Figures
Preface
Introduction
1 Evolving New Strategies
2 Coping with Noise
3 Promoting Norms
4 Choosing Sides
5 Setting Standards
6 Building New Political Actors
7 Disseminating Culture
App. A Replication of Agent-Based Models
App. B Resources for Agent-Based Modeling
