Game Theory as a Tool for the Analysis of Norms

In studies of group reconciliation, apologizing is often studied politically and legally, and its consequences are treated as matters of emotion and affect (see, for example, the discussion in Kaminski et al. 2006), but the analyses here show that apologies raise strategic questions as well. The models in each section have different focuses, the first on how apologies provide the right incentives to maintain other norms in a network and second on how they can be credible. Understanding the structure of apologies puts us in a position to see how they vary across cultures, and to implement them more effectively.