Converting Social Conflict: Focal Points and the Evolution of Cooperation
12 Pages Posted: 23 Jan 2006 Last revised: 25 Oct 2010
Date Written: 2006
Abstract
We examine the ability of focal points to transform situations of potential conflict into situations of cooperation. In performing this function, focal points convert "worst-case scenarios" into "better-case scenarios," which are easier for political economic systems to handle. Focal points thus contribute to the ability of political economies to perform well in the face of less than ideal conditions, enhancing systemic robustness.
Keywords: Focal points, Robustness, Cooperation, Conflict
JEL Classification: P0
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Leeson, Peter T. and Coyne, Christopher J. and Boettke, Peter J. and Boettke, Peter J., Converting Social Conflict: Focal Points and the Evolution of Cooperation (2006). Review of Austrian Economics, Vol. 19, No. 2/3, pp. 137-147, 2006, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=876493
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