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arXiv · 2511.22234

Edge-based reputation promotes cooperation in simplicial complexes

Chunpeng Du·Fei Fang·Alfonso de Miguel-Arribas·Yikang Lu·Yanan Wang·Xin Pan·Yamir Moreno
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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.

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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

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