The emergence of division of labor through decentralized social sanctioning

Understand

Human ecological success relies on our characteristic ability to flexibly self-organize into cooperative social groups, the most successful of which employ substantial specialization and division of labor.

• Unlike most other animals, humans learn by trial and error during their lives what role to take on.
• However, when some critical roles are more attractive than others, and individuals are self-interested, then there is a social dilemma: each individual would prefer others take on the critical but unremunerative roles so they may remain free to take one that pays better.
• But disaster occurs if all act thusly and a critical role goes unfilled.