This paper studies the interaction of beliefs, payoff parameters, and the cooperation rate in the infinitely repeated prisoner's dilemma. We show formally that a player's belief about the probability of cooperation by their opponent moderates the effect of changes in the payoff parameters on...

Stochastic uncertainty can cause difficult coordination problems that may hinder mutually beneficial cooperation. We propose a mechanism of ex-post voluntary transfers designed to circumvent these coordination problems and ask whether it can do so. To test this, we implement a controlled...