clipped from ccs.mit.edu

The rising importance of online reputation systems not only invites, but also necessitates rigorous research on their functioning and consequences. How do such mechanisms affect the behavior of participants in the communities where they are introduced? Do they induce socially beneficial outcomes? To what extent can their operators and participants manipulate them? How can communities protect themselves from such potential abuse? What mechanism designs work best in what settings? Under what circumstances can these mechanisms become viable substitutes (or complements) of more established institutions, such as contracts, legal guarantees and professional reviews? This is just a small subset of questions that motivate my work in this area.