The coupled dynamics of human socio-economic choice and lake water system: the interaction of two sources of nonlinearity

Model Description

Here, we present a model of the coupled dynamics between human socioeconomic choice (between cooperative and non-cooperative collective action) and nutrient loading input level into a lake water system. Suzuki and Iwasa (2008) explains the model as the following. "In the model, many players choose one of the two options: a cooperative and costly option with low phosphorus discharge, and an economical option with high phosphorus discharge. The choice is affected by an economic cost, a social concern about water pollution, and a conformist tendency. The pollution level in the lake is determined by total phosphorus discharge by the players, the sedimentation and the outflow of phosphorus, and the recycling of phosphorus from the sediment. The model has two sources of nonlinearity: the cooperation level tends to be bistable due to con-formist tendency of people (social hysteresis) and pollution level tends to be bistable because phosphorus recycling occurs faster in more eutrophic lakes (ecological hysteresis). The combination of these two sources may cause multiple stable equilibria or oscillations with a long periodicity. Small economic cost and strong social concern about pollution level can decrease the pollution level, but may not be very effective in enhancing the cooperation level. In contrast, strong conformist tendency produces a stable state with a high cooperation level and a low pollution level".

Reference

Suzuki, Y., & Iwasa, Y. (2008). The coupled dynamics of human socio-economic choice and lake water system: the interaction of two sources of nonlinearity. Ecological Research, 24(3), 479-489. doi:10.1007/s11284-008-0548-3

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