scholarly journals Building Better Ecological Machines: Complexity Theory and Alternative Economic Models

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 266
Author(s):  
Jess Bier ◽  
Willem Schinkel
Keyword(s):  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Complexity Theory ◽  
Economic Models ◽  
Financial Policy ◽  
Agent Based Models ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Macroeconomic Models ◽  
Fractal Modeling ◽  
Current Economic Crisis ◽  
Conventional Models

Computer models of the economy are regularly used to predict economic phenomena and set financial policy. However, the conventional macroeconomic models are currently being reimagined after they failed to foresee the current economic crisis, the outlines of which began to be understood only in 2007-2008. In this article we analyze the most prominent of this reimagining: Agent-Based models (ABMs). ABMs are an influential alternative to standard economic models, and they are one focus of complexity theory, a discipline that is a more open successor to the conventional chaos and fractal modeling of the 1990s. The modelers who create ABMs claim that their models depict markets as ecologies, and that they are more responsive than conventional models that depict markets as machines. We challenge this presentation, arguing instead that recent modeling efforts amount to the creation of models as ecological machines. Our paper aims to contribute to an understanding of the organizing metaphors of macroeconomic models, which we argue is relevant conceptually and politically, e.g., when models are used for regulatory purposes.

Agent-Based Models and Ethnography: Combining Qualitative and Computational Techniques with Complexity Theory

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Andrei ◽  
William Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Complexity Theory ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Computational Techniques ◽  
Agent Based Models ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Negotiation Of Identity

Increased interaction, adaptability, diversity, and emergence are all hallmarks of complexity (Miller and Page 2007; see Simon 1996). While anthropologists may not use these specific complexity theory terms, they have long been interested in how diverse people interact and adapt in their negotiation of identity and society and what sorts of social phenomena emerge from these interactions. A complexity theory perspective can interpret culture or cultural practices as either the base rules from which identity emerges (consider Appadurai 1996) or the emergent system itself, the "webs of significance" in which humans are embedded (see Geertz 1973).

scholarly journals Agent-Based Models of the Labor Market

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Neugart ◽  
Matteo Richiardi
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Labor Markets ◽  
Major Part ◽  
Agent Based Models ◽  
Market Models ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Macroeconomic Models ◽  
Market Policy ◽  
Labor Market Policies ◽  
Selection Of

The chapter reviews the literature concerning agent-based labor market models by tracing its roots to the microsimulation literature and surveying a selection of con- tributions made since the work by Bergmann and Eliasson et al. Agent-based models have been applied to explain stylized facts of labor markets as well as labor market policy evaluations. They also constitute a major part of agent-based macroeconomic models. Besides reviewing the various results achieved, the chapter discusses modeling choices with respect to agents' behavior and the structure of interaction. The overall assessment is that agent-based labor market models have given us valuable insights into the functioning of labor markets and the consequences of labor market policies, and that they will increasingly become an essential tool of analysis, in particular, when the construction of large macro-models is involved.

scholarly journals Agent Based Models of Polymicrobial Biofilms and the Microbiome—A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 417
Author(s):  
Sherli Koshy-Chenthittayil ◽  
Linda Archambault ◽  
Dhananjai Senthilkumar ◽  
Reinhard Laubenbacher ◽  
Pedro Mendes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Autonomous Agent ◽  
Agent Based Models ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Mucosal Surfaces ◽  
Living Organisms

The human microbiome has been a focus of intense study in recent years. Most of the living organisms comprising the microbiome exist in the form of biofilms on mucosal surfaces lining our digestive, respiratory, and genito-urinary tracts. While health-associated microbiota contribute to digestion, provide essential nutrients, and protect us from pathogens, disturbances due to illness or medical interventions contribute to infections, some that can be fatal. Myriad biological processes influence the make-up of the microbiota, for example: growth, division, death, and production of extracellular polymers (EPS), and metabolites. Inter-species interactions include competition, inhibition, and symbiosis. Computational models are becoming widely used to better understand these interactions. Agent-based modeling is a particularly useful computational approach to implement the various complex interactions in microbial communities when appropriately combined with an experimental approach. In these models, each cell is represented as an autonomous agent with its own set of rules, with different rules for each species. In this review, we will discuss innovations in agent-based modeling of biofilms and the microbiota in the past five years from the biological and mathematical perspectives and discuss how agent-based models can be further utilized to enhance our comprehension of the complex world of polymicrobial biofilms and the microbiome.

Agripreneurship development: a strategy for revamping Nigeria’s economy from recession

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 474-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Innocent Otache
Keyword(s):  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current Economic Crisis ◽  
Leadership Failure ◽  
Oil Sector ◽  
The Government ◽  
Creativity And Innovation ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore agripreneurship development as a strategy for economic growth and development. Design/methodology/approach Though a few related literature were reviewed, this paper relies heavily on the author’s viewpoint regarding how Nigeria can grow and develop its economy through agripreneurship development. Findings The present economic challenges that Nigeria is facing are blamed on overdependence on the oil sector, bad governance, corruption, leadership failure, policy inconsistency, overdependence on imported goods and ostensible neglect of the agricultural sector. Also, policymakers, economic analysts and the government have advocated strongly for diversification of the economy. Besides, there is a consensus among scholars, economic analysts and policymakers that “agriculture is the answer.” Research limitations/implications This paper addresses specifically one sector of the economy – the agricultural sector. On the other hand, economic crisis needs to be addressed holistically by resolving specific issues that confront different sectors of the economy. Practical implications This paper has some insightful policy and practical implications for the Nigerian Government and Nigerians. The government and Nigerians need to take practical steps to grow and develop the economy. On the part of the government, apart from the need to transform the agricultural sector by allocating enough funds to it, the government should establish well-equipped agripreneurship development centers and organize periodically agripreneurship development programmes for the main purpose of training and developing both current and potential agripreneurs who will be able to apply today’s agricultural techniques and practices which involve a great deal of creativity and innovation for a successful agribusiness. The federal government should integrate agripreneurship education into Nigeria’s education system. Similarly, the Nigerian people, particularly the youths or graduates should be encouraged to choose agribusiness as a career. Originality/value While previous papers have offered different solutions to the current economic crisis that Nigeria is experiencing, ranging from economic to structural reforms, this paper differs significantly from others by recommending specifically agripreneurship development as a strategy for revamping Nigeria’s economy from its current recession. Moreover, there is a dearth of literature on agripreneurship and agripreneurship development. This paper therefore fills the literature gap.

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