Cooperation, coordination and competition Theory and experiments

This dissertation explores how cooperation, coordination and competition are influenced by communication and population structure. The studies in this dissertation combine game theoretic modeling with laboratory experiments. The models’ predictions provide a benchmark for the laboratory experiments; the laboratory experiments in turn test the theoretical predictions.
More specifically, the first study discussed in this dissertation finds that type detection and commitment value are the most important drivers of the effect of face-to-face communication on cooperation in social dilemmas. The second study suggests that sequential communication is very effective in the battle of the sexes game but ineffective in chicken games. The third study shows that being a member of the minority group can be beneficial in competitive environments but disadvantageous in cooperative environments.