Agent-Based Modeling in Political Science

The Political Methodologist 10(1): 16–22.
Agent‐based modeling is a computational methodology that allows the analyst to create, analyze, and experiment with, artificial worlds populated by agents that interact in non‐trivial ways and that constitute their own environment. In these "complex adaptive systems," computation is used to simulate agents’ cognitive processes and behavior in order to explore emergent macro phenomena, i.e. structural patterns that are not reducible to, or even understandable in terms of, properties of the micro‐level agents. Such "bottom‐up" models typically feature local and dispersed interaction rather than centralized control.
DOI:
Cederman, Lars-Erik. 2001. “Agent-Based Modeling in Political Science.” The Political Methodologist 10(1): 16–22.
@article{agent-based-modeling-political-science,
   title = {Agent-Based Modeling in Political Science},
   author = {Cederman, Lars-Erik},
   journal = {The Political Methodologist},
   volume = {10},
   number = {1},
   pages = {16--22},
   year = {2001},
   abstract = {Agent-based modeling is a computational methodology that allows the analyst to create, analyze, and experiment with, artificial worlds populated by agents that interact in non-trivial ways and that constitute their own environment. In these "complex adaptive systems," computation is used to simulate agents' cognitive processes and behavior in order to explore emergent macro phenomena, i.e. structural patterns that are not reducible to, or even understandable in terms of, properties of the micro-level agents. Such "bottom-up" models typically feature local and dispersed interaction rather than centralized control.},
   doi = {},
   url = {https://thepoliticalmethodologist.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/tpm_v10_n11.pdf},
   status = {personal}
}