Flutterby™! : Cooperation

A New York Times report on a study about cooperation and punishment in communities:

The study, appearing today in the journal Science, suggests that groups with few rules attract many exploitative people who quickly undermine cooperation. By contrast, communities that allow punishment, and in which power is distributed equally, are more likely to draw people who, even at their own cost, are willing to stand up to miscreants.

Led to Cooperation in Evolving Social Networks by Nobuyuki Hanaki, Alexander Peterhansl, Peter S. Dodds, and Duncan J. Watts that totally looks worth a read.