scholarly journals The dynamics of cooperation, power, and inequality in a group-structured society

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Tverskoi ◽  
Athmanathan Senthilnathan ◽  
Sergey Gavrilets
Keyword(s):  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Democratic Institutions ◽  
Collective Actions ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Equilibrium Dynamics ◽  
Analytical Approximations ◽  
Group Cooperation ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Stable Equilibria ◽  
Large Groups

Most human societies are characterized by the presence of groups which cooperate through joint actions but also compete for resources and power. The processes of within- and between- group cooperation and competition have shaped human history over the last several millennia. To deepen our understanding of the underlying social dynamics, we model a society subdivided into groups with constant sizes and dynamically changing powers. Both individuals within groups and groups themselves participate in collective actions. The groups are also engaged in political contests over power which determines how resources are distributed. Using analytical approximations and agent-based simulations, we show that the model exhibits rich behavior characterized by multiple stable equilibria and, under some conditions, non-equilibrium dynamics. The strength of democratic institutions plays a key role: increasing it promotes cooperation, reduces variation in power, and mitigates inequality among groups. We show that increasing potential benefits of between-group cooperation promotes it only in societies with strong democratic institutions. We show that small groups are successful in competition if the jointly-produced goods are rivalrous and the potential benefit of cooperation is small. Otherwise large groups dominate. Overall our model contributes towards a better understanding of the causes of variation between societies in terms of the economic and political inequality within them.

scholarly journals The dynamics of cooperation, power, and inequality in a group-structured society

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Tverskoi ◽  
Athmanathan Senthilnathan ◽  
Sergey Gavrilets
Keyword(s):  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Collective Actions ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Political Inequality ◽  
Equilibrium Dynamics ◽  
Analytical Approximations ◽  
Group Cooperation ◽  
Stable Equilibria ◽  
Large Groups ◽  
Multiple Stable Equilibria

AbstractMost human societies are characterized by the presence of different identity groups which cooperate but also compete for resources and power. To deepen our understanding of the underlying social dynamics, we model a society subdivided into groups with constant sizes and dynamically changing powers. Both individuals within groups and groups themselves participate in collective actions. The groups are also engaged in political contests over power which determines how jointly produced resources are divided. Using analytical approximations and agent-based simulations, we show that the model exhibits rich behavior characterized by multiple stable equilibria and, under some conditions, non-equilibrium dynamics. We demonstrate that societies in which individuals act independently are more stable than those in which actions of individuals are completely synchronized. We show that mechanisms preventing politically powerful groups from bending the rules of competition in their favor play a key role in promoting between-group cooperation and reducing inequality between groups. We also show that small groups can be more successful in competition than large groups if the jointly-produced goods are rivalrous and the potential benefit of cooperation is relatively small. Otherwise large groups dominate. Overall our model contributes towards a better understanding of the causes of variation between societies in terms of the economic and political inequality within them.

Philosophical Papers

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Probability Theory ◽  
Computer Simulations ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Scientific Explanation ◽  
Contemporary Literature ◽  
Unpublished Paper ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Philosophical Investigations ◽  
The Status ◽  
Original Presentation

Paul Humphreys pioneered philosophical investigations into the methodological revolution begun by computer simulations. He has also made important contributions to the contemporary literature on emergence by developing the fusion account of diachronic emergence and its generalization, transformational emergence. He is the discoverer of what has come to be called “Humphreys” Paradox in probability theory and has also made influential contributions to the literature on probabilistic causality and scientific explanation. This collection contains fourteen of his previously published papers on topics ranging from numerical experiments to the status of scientific metaphysics. There is also and a previously unpublished paper on social dynamics. The volume is divided into four parts on, respectively, computational science, emergence, probability, and general philosophy of science. The first part contains the seminal 1990 paper on computer simulations, with three other papers arguing that these new methods cannot be accounted for by traditional methodological approaches. The second part contains the original presentation of fusion emergence and three companion papers arguing for diachronic approaches to the topic, rather than the then dominant synchronic accounts. The third part starts with the paper that introduced the probabilistic paradox followed by a later evaluation of attempts to solve it. A third paper argues, contra Quine, that probability theory is a purely mathematical theory. The final part includes papers on causation, explanation, metaphysics, and an agent-based model that shows how endogenous uncertainty undermines utility maximization. Each of the four parts is followed by a comprehensive postscript with retrospective assessments.

Using Quantum Agent-Based Simulation to Model Social Networks

2011 ◽  
pp. 42-54
Author(s):  
C. Bisconti ◽  
A. Corallo ◽  
M. De Maggio ◽  
F. Grippa ◽  
S. Totaro
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Quantum Mechanics ◽  
Quantum Physics ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Many Body ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Microscopic Interactions ◽  
The Many

This research aims to apply models extracted from the many-body quantum mechanics to describe social dynamics. It is intended to draw macroscopic characteristics of organizational communities starting from the analysis of microscopic interactions with respect to the node model. In this chapter, the authors intend to give an answer to the following question: which models of the quantum physics are suitable to represent the behaviour and the evolution of business processes? The innovative aspects of the project are related to the application of models and methods of the quantum mechanics to social systems. In order to validate the proposed mathematical model, the authors intend to define an open-source platform able to model nodes and interactions within a network, to visualize the macroscopic results through a digital representation of the social networks.

Endogenous Uncertainty and the Dynamics of Constraints

2019 ◽  
pp. 246-260
Author(s):  
Paul Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Utility Maximization ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Fitness Landscape ◽  
Agent Based Model ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Endogenous Uncertainty ◽  
The Commons ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Special Case

An agent- based model of social dynamics is introduced using a deformable fitness landscape, and it is shown that in certain clearly specifiable situations, strategies that are different from utility maximization outperform utility maximizers. Simulation results are presented and intuitive interpretations of the results provided. The situations considered occur when individuals' actions affect the outcomes for other agents and endogenous effects are dominant. The Tragedy of the Commons is merely a special case of this. Arguments are given that constraints are to be encouraged in some circumstances. The appropriate role of constraints in various types of society is assessed and their use justified in identifiable types of situations.

scholarly journals Intergroup aggression in meerkats

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1917) ◽  
pp. 20191993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Dyble ◽  
Thomas M. Houslay ◽  
Marta B. Manser ◽  
Tim Clutton-Brock
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Lethal Violence ◽  
Suricata Suricatta ◽  
Group Cooperation ◽  
Fitness Consequences ◽  
Cooperatively Breeding ◽  
Adult Sex Ratio ◽  
Violent Conflicts ◽  
Large Groups

Violent conflicts between groups have been observed among many species of group living mammals and can have important fitness consequences, with individuals being injured or killed and with losing groups surrendering territory. Here, we explore between-group conflict among meerkats ( Suricata suricatta ), a highly social and cooperatively breeding mongoose. We show that interactions between meerkat groups are frequently aggressive and sometimes escalate to fighting and lethal violence and that these interactions have consequences for group territories, with losing groups moving to sleeping burrows closer to the centre of their territories following an intergroup interaction and with winning groups moving further away. We find that larger groups and groups with pups are significantly more likely to win contests, but that the location of the contest, adult sex ratio, and mean within-group genetic relatedness do not predict contest outcome. Our results suggest that intergroup competition may be a major selective force among meerkats, reinforcing the success of large groups and increasing the vulnerability of small groups to extinction. The presence of both within-group cooperation and between-group hostility in meerkats make them a valuable point of comparison in attempts to understand the ecological and evolutionary roots of human warfare.

MODELING ENDOGENOUS RULE CHANGES IN AN INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT: THE ADICO SEQUENCE

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (02) ◽  
pp. 199-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALEX SMAJGL ◽  
LUIS R. IZQUIERDO ◽  
MARCO HUIGEN
Keyword(s):  
Social Group ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Institutional Context ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Institutional Framework ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
The Social ◽  
Rule Changes ◽  
Do So

Agent-based modeling is being increasingly used to simulate socio-techno-ecosystems that involve social dynamics. Humans face constraints that they sometimes wish to challenge, and when they do so, they often trigger changes at the scale of the social group too. Including such adaptation dynamics explicitly in our models would allow simulation of the endogenous emergence of rule changes. This paper discusses such an approach in an institutional framework and develops a sequence that allows modeling of endogenous rule changes. Parts of this sequence are implemented in a NetLogo KISS model to provide some illustrative results.

scholarly journals Agent-based modeling and life cycle dynamics of COVID-19-related online collective actions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Zhang ◽  
Hao Li ◽  
Rong He ◽  
Peng Lu
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Agent Based Modeling ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Collective Actions ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Individual Behaviors ◽  
Micro Level

AbstractThe outbreak of COVID-19 has greatly threatened global public health and produced social problems, which includes relative online collective actions. Based on the life cycle law, focusing on the life cycle process of COVID-19 online collective actions, we carried out both macro-level analysis (big data mining) and micro-level behaviors (Agent-Based Modeling) on pandemic-related online collective actions. We collected 138 related online events with macro-level big data characteristics, and used Agent-Based Modeling to capture micro-level individual behaviors of netizens. We set two kinds of movable agents, Hots (events) and Netizens (individuals), which behave smartly and autonomously. Based on multiple simulations and parametric traversal, we obtained the optimal parameter solution. Under the optimal solutions, we repeated simulations by ten times, and took the mean values as robust outcomes. Simulation outcomes well match the real big data of life cycle trends, and validity and robustness can be achieved. According to multiple criteria (spans, peaks, ratios, and distributions), the fitness between simulations and real big data has been substantially supported. Therefore, our Agent-Based Modeling well grasps the micro-level mechanisms of real-world individuals (netizens), based on which we can predict individual behaviors of netizens and big data trends of specific online events. Based on our model, it is feasible to model, calculate, and even predict evolutionary dynamics and life cycles trends of online collective actions. It facilitates public administrations and social governance.

scholarly journals A SIMULATION-AS-A-SERVICE FRAMEWORK FACILITATING WEBGIS BASED INSTALLATION PLANNING

2017 ◽  
Vol XLII-2/W7 ◽  
pp. 193-198
Author(s):  
Z. Zheng ◽  
Z. Y. Chang ◽  
Y. F. Fei
Keyword(s):  
Data Retrieval ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Trip Planning ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Agent Simulation ◽  
Simulation Functions ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Configuration Simulation ◽  
Task Simulation ◽  
Service Framework

Installation Planning is constrained by both natural and social conditions, especially for spatially sparse but functionally connected facilities. Simulation is important for proper deploy in space and configuration in function of facilities to make them a cohesive and supportive system to meet users’ operation needs. Based on requirement analysis, we propose a framework to combine GIS and Agent simulation to overcome the shortness in temporal analysis and task simulation of traditional GIS. In this framework, Agent based simulation runs as a service on the server, exposes basic simulation functions, such as scenario configuration, simulation control, and simulation data retrieval to installation planners. At the same time, the simulation service is able to utilize various kinds of geoprocessing services in Agents’ process logic to make sophisticated spatial inferences and analysis. This simulation-as-a-service framework has many potential benefits, such as easy-to-use, on-demand, shared understanding, and boosted performances. At the end, we present a preliminary implement of this concept using ArcGIS javascript api 4.0 and ArcGIS for server, showing how trip planning and driving can be carried out by agents.

scholarly journals Cambios y riesgos asociados a la adolescencia

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Viejo ◽  
Rosario Ortega-Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
School Violence ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Pubertal Development ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
Problem Behaviours ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
Consumo De Sustancias ◽  
The Brain

Resumen: La adolescencia es un periodo crítico de cambios biológicos, comportamentales y sociales continuos. Estos cambios pueden ser fuente tanto de crecimiento como de obstáculos para el desarrollo en años posteriores. El desarrollo puberal, los cambios morfológicos y funcionales a nivel cerebral, y la ampliación del contexto social y las dinámicas de relación que en él se desarrollan, pueden suponer para los adolescentes un factor de riesgo para la implicación en diversas conductas problema. Este monográfico presenta algunos de los últimos trabajos desarrollados en torno al consumo de sustancias, la violencia escolar, bullying, ciberbullying o cibercortejo.Risks and changes related to the adolescenceAbstract: The adolescence is a critical period time: biological, behavioural and social changes occur continuously. Those changes could be understood as potential benefits for the development along the adolescence and afterwards, but also as potential risks for this period. The pubertal development; the morphological and functional changes in the brain; and the wider social context where the adolescents stablish new and more complex social dynamics, could be acting as risk factors for several problem behaviours. This Special Issue presents some of the latest papers developed about consumption, school violence, bullying, cyberbullying and cyberdating.

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