Review
Anthropology
Robert Boyd, Peter J. Richerson
Summary: We provide evidence that people in small-scale mobile hunter-gatherer societies cooperated in large numbers to produce collective goods. This cooperation was crucial for subsistence and was rooted in distinctive features of human biology, grammatical language, and cumulative cultural adaptation.
EVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Filippo Sgroi
Summary: Geographical indications are increasingly recognized as an important tool for supporting sustainable local development. This study explores how GIs can contribute to territorial public systems, while also acknowledging potential threats from market failures. The role of information in conveying the value of products and territories is crucial for the success and sustainability of GIs in agricultural production.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrew Ndhlovu, Pierre M. Durand, Grant Ramsey
Summary: Programmed cell death (PCD) in unicellular organisms can be seen as an altruistic trait, possibly explained by kin selection or group selection theory. The Black Queen Hypothesis (BQH) suggests that PCD functions as a black queen in microbial communities, with leakiness and costliness being key characteristics. More empirical data is needed to fully assess this hypothesis, but it provides a useful framework for studying the role of PCD in communities.
Review
Criminology & Penology
Liam Quinn, Joseph Clare, Jade Lindley, Frank Morgan
Summary: This study aims to determine whether there is a significant relationship between price variation and theft rates for certain goods. By conducting a systematic search and analyzing relevant studies, it was found that there is an elastic and significant relationship between metal price and theft rates, as well as a significant but less elastic relationship between petrol price and petrol theft. However, the relationship between price and theft rates for jewelry and other consumer goods showed mixed results.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL CRIMINOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Economics
Patrick W. Schmitz
Summary: Ownership of the physical assets needed to provide a public good should be held by the party who values the public good most, but under asymmetric information, investment technology can also play a significant role in determining ownership.
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
(2021)
Article
Geography
E. Lance Howe, Lee Huskey
Summary: This study examines the migration decisions of residents in remote Arctic communities and finds that local public amenities, such as improved education opportunities, available housing, and modern water and sewer systems, have a significant impact on rural-to-rural migration for indigenous populations in the Arctic region.
JOURNAL OF RURAL STUDIES
(2022)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Yunsheng Deng, Jihui Zhang
Summary: Cooperation is vital for advancing human civilization, and combining complex network theory and evolutionary game theory provides a practical framework for studying how to increase cooperation within communities. Individual specific behaviors play a crucial role in the evolution of cooperation, and two proposed mechanisms can significantly promote cooperative levels, offering new approaches to increasing cooperation from a fresh perspective.
PHYSICA A-STATISTICAL MECHANICS AND ITS APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Zoology
K. N. Swift, E. J. Williams, J. M. Marzluff
Summary: Arctic and subarctic wildlife, including Canada Jays, are highly vulnerable to climate change. This study in interior Alaska, USA, found that Canada Jays have a diverse diet that changes seasonally and can adjust their foraging strategies in response to climate change. The study also highlighted the quick recovery of caches and frequent loss to competitors.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Botond Szabo, Lasse Vuursteen, Harry Van Zanten
Summary: This paper investigates the problem of signal detection in a distributed setting with Gaussian noise, where the local machines in the star topology can communicate a single bit of information. We derive a lower bound on the Euclidian norm required for detecting the signal and present optimal distributed testing strategies that achieve this lower bound.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION THEORY
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Marco Fabbri
Summary: The study proposes a research design to isolate the causal effects of institutional quality on out-group cooperation by using a randomized control-trial land tenure reform in Beninese villages. Results from a lab-in-the-field incentivized experiment show that the reform significantly increases participants' cooperation with anonymous strangers from other villages. This highlights how humans' investments in in-group and out-group relationships are sensitive to cost-benefit evaluations, emphasizing the institutional environment as a key driver of large-scale human cooperation.
EVOLUTION AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR
(2022)
Article
Economics
Martin Abel, Willa Brown
Summary: People's uncertainty in balancing self-interest and prosocial behavior in public good provision and other collective action problems can be influenced by the actions of others. This experiment shows that different role model behaviors have different effects on public donations and volunteering.
JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL AND EXPERIMENTAL ECONOMICS
(2022)
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Marco Tomassini, Alberto Antonioni
Summary: This study simulated two linear public goods games models using numerical methods and found that being able to leave a group when unsatisfied favors contribution and avoids free-riding, which aligns with experimental data. These models, unlike traditional mathematical approaches, can help understand experimental results and design new experiments.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS-COMPLEXITY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Isabella C. Richmond, Juliana Balluffi-Fry, Eric Vander Wal, Shawn J. Leroux, Matteo Rizzuto, Travis R. Heckford, Joanie L. Kennah, Gabrielle R. Riefesel, Yolanda F. Wiersma, Jonathan Pauli
Summary: This study examines the trade-off between perceived predation risk and forage quality in snowshoe hares using ecological stoichiometry framework. The individual-level responses to forage quality and perceived predation risk vary, indicating fine-scale decision-making by hares.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2022)
Article
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Roman Movchan, Oleksandr Dudorov, Andrii Vozniuk, Vitalii Areshonkov, Yuriy Lutsenko
Summary: The paper aims to identify the optimal legislative model of criminal law against commodity smuggling in Ukraine, drawing on the experiences of foreign countries, primarily the European Union. Research methods include comparative law, system analysis, formal logic, and modeling to analyze criminal legislation, proving hypotheses and formulating conclusions. The study clarifies the social conditions of criminalizing smuggling of goods based on achievements in criminal law science, law enforcement practice, sociological surveys, and analysis of relevant bills. The foreign experience in criminalization of commodity smuggling in European Union legislation is investigated, with critical consideration of legislative initiatives in this area and proposals for relevant improvements in criminal legislation put forward and substantiated.
AMAZONIA INVESTIGA
(2021)
Article
Economics
Darong Dai, Guoqiang Tian
Summary: This study analyzes optimal interregional redistribution and local budget rules in a two-region, two-period federation model. The findings suggest that under certain conditions, the contributor region can face a weaker borrowing constraint to address asymmetric information and achieve efficiency.
REVIEW OF ECONOMIC DESIGN
(2023)
