Funded by: European Science Foundation
Partners: Central European University (Hungary), Santa Fe Institute and University of Sienna (Usa), Eötvös University (Hungary), Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies - CNR - Rome (Italy), Université Pierre et Marie Curie (France), Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain), University of Zürich (Switzerland), Oxford University (UK), University College London (UK), UK Fellow of Kings College (UK)
Timeframe: 2007-2010
Web site: http://people.umass.edu/gintis/Soccop.html
Description: the project investigated the nature and evolution of cooperation in humans and animals.
Despite the fact that human cooperation has always been a central concern of biology and human behavioural sciences, there is currently no accepted model to explain its fundamental mechanisms and evolution in the human species. Contemporary evidence from neuroscience, behavioural genetics and behavioural game theory suggests that while the behavioural disciplines (biology, economics, anthropology, psychology, and sociology) have made major contributions to understanding cooperation, each ignores a key part of the overall picture. The nature of cooperation is such that it does not break down into independent parts susceptible to isolated analysis by specific disciplines and for this reason the SOCCOP project had a trans-disciplinary strategy.