Inequality and cooperation in social networks

Social networks are fundamental to the broad scale cooperation observed in human populations. But by structuring the flow of benefits from cooperation, networks also create and sustain macro-level inequalities. Here we ask how two aspects of inequality shape the evolution of cooperation in dynamic social networks. Results from a crowdsourced experiment (N = 1080) show that inequality alters the distribution of cooperation within networks such that participants engage in more costly cooperation with their wealthier partners in order to maintain more valuable connections to them. Inequality also influences network dynamics, increasing the tendency for participants to seek wealthier partners, resulting in structural network change. These processes aggregate to alter network structures and produce greater system-level inequality. The findings thus shed critical light on how networks serve as both boon and barrier to macro-level human flourishing.