Proper Sovereignty Manifesto, Part 5: Deterrence

We can view crime as a prisoner’s dilemma problem. If one criminal gets away with a crime, they profit at the expense of others. But if everyone gets away with crime, the situation is worse for everybody, even the criminals. What I call coercion, therefore, can be classed as a collective action problem. There are … Continue reading Proper Sovereignty Manifesto, Part 5: Deterrence →

What is Social Capital?

Collective Action You are probably familiar with the prisoner’s dilemma. For those who don’t know, here’s a quick summation. The prisoner’s dilemma is the archetypical game theory situation. See the above example. If both players confess, both loose 6 points of utility. If neither confess, both loose one point of utility. But if one confesses, … Continue reading What is Social Capital? →