Fostering Sustainable Cooperation through Strategic Resource Allocation and Utilization on Social Networks

Fostering Sustainable Cooperation through Strategic Resource Allocation and Utilization on Social Networks | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Fostering Sustainable Cooperation through Strategic Resource Allocation and Utilization on Social Networks Qi Su, Juyi Li, Xiaoqun Wu This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7121440/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Efficient allocation and use of limited resources are fundamental to advancing collective welfare and achieving long-term societal sustainability. This challenge involves not only how policymakers distribute scarce resources among individuals, but also how individuals strategically utilize them. The complexity deepens when individuals are embedded in networks of social interactions, where outcomes are interdependent and future decisions are shaped by a dynamic tension between cooperation driven by collective long-term benefit and self-interest motivated by short-term personal gain. Here, we introduce a novel framework of generalized public goods games on hypergraphs to capture the multifaceted nature of real-world social interactions. Using Nash equilibrium analysis, we reveal how full cooperation (all individuals contribute all their resources to maximize collective benefit) emerges from the interplay between resource allocation strategies, individual usage behaviors, and the structure of interactions. We find that equal resource distribution enhances cooperation in homogeneous networks but may suppress it in heterogeneous ones, indicating that equity in allocation does not universally lead to optimal collective outcomes. To address this, we propose two complementary optimization strategies: one to guide policymakers in designing effective resource allocation schemes, and the other to support individuals in making sustainable use decisions. We validate the effectiveness of both approaches across a range of synthetic and empirical cases. Our findings provide actionable insights for designing governance frameworks and resource management policies that promote sustainable cooperation in complex socio-environmental systems. Biological sciences/Evolution/Evolutionary theory Scientific community and society/Social sciences/Decision making Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SI.pdf Fostering Sustainable Cooperation through Strategic Resource Allocation and Utilization on Social Networks Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7121440","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":533730417,"identity":"cac50e2d-7698-4946-884f-e6b66bedf1a8","order_by":0,"name":"Qi Su","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAu0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZiD+wMAGZksQrYVxBgObBAlaQLp4oKqJ08J3nP2ZtM0fvjqDA8wHb/Mw2OUR1CJ5mMdMOreNTcLgAFuyNQ9DcjFBLQaHedikcxtAWoB6eRgOJDYQ1gJ0mMUfkBb+b8RqYTCTZmAD28JGnBagX4wte9vYJGceZjO2nGOQTFgL3/njD2/8+HOMn+9488MbbyrsCGthOAAmj0GSAYMBQfVwLTXEKB0Fo2AUjIKRCgDNITM/9c4FyAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Shanghai Jiao Tong University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Qi","middleName":"","lastName":"Su","suffix":""},{"id":533730418,"identity":"8a269fae-99f7-4695-ab0f-479e902d85a8","order_by":1,"name":"Juyi Li","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0786-0251","institution":"Shanghai Jiao Tong University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Juyi","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":533730419,"identity":"ad9c073a-314f-4029-ad88-3cf79edf6862","order_by":2,"name":"Xiaoqun Wu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Shenzhen University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xiaoqun","middleName":"","lastName":"Wu","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-14 13:01:04","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7121440/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7121440/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":96247727,"identity":"e821e76b-5b92-474b-b579-006200bdbd82","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-19 07:27:41","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1888485,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Article File","description":"","filename":"main.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7121440/v1_covered_4e7d1cb2-98fa-47fe-a039-fac60b6a4407.pdf"},{"id":94242490,"identity":"b5f0d2b0-f5ff-41d4-a31e-33390b58130c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-24 04:22:25","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":351373,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Fostering Sustainable Cooperation through Strategic Resource Allocation and Utilization on Social Networks","description":"","filename":"SI.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7121440/v1/290288c2b1a37e67290fccea.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"Fostering Sustainable Cooperation through Strategic Resource Allocation and Utilization on Social Networks","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-portfolio","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Nature Portfolio","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7121440/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7121440/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Efficient allocation and use of limited resources are fundamental to advancing collective welfare and achieving long-term societal sustainability. 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