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    On the Importance of Frailty in Social Science Theory (and other lessons of agent-based modeling)

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    JohnsonP_EQPAM_2(1)1.pdf (501.3Kb)
    Issue Date
    2013-01
    Author
    Johnson, Paul E.
    Publisher
    University of Bucharest, Faculty of Political Science
    Type
    Article
    Article Version
    Scholarly/refereed, publisher version
    Published Version
    https://sites.google.com/a/fspub.unibuc.ro/european-quarterly-of-political-attitudes-and-mentalities
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    Abstract
    This paper is about the theoretical implications of agent-based modeling exercises. Construction of an agent-based model challenges a social scientist to formalize many concepts and relationships that would have remained implicit or unrecognized. While formalizing these "unimportant" assumptions can be a nuisance, it can also have substantial theoretical payoffs. In order to fill the gaps of the model, the researcher is forced to confront the gaps in the theory that motivated the model in the first place. Using examples drawn from several large political science simulation models, the paper argues that frailty, defined as unpredictability in the behavior of agents, is often required in order to bring closure to the modeling exercise. It is difficult (or impossible) to square the dynamic or aggregate implications of the agent-based model with observations without placing a substantial amount of emphasis on frailty. Hence, the component in behavior that we often treat as "error" in empirical analysis is actually a vital part of the glue that makes the many different moving parts of a social system interact in coherent ways. The example models were developed with the Swarm simulation system (http://www.swarm.org) during the last decade.
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/1808/17034
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    • Political Science Scholarly Works [63]
    Citation
    Johnson, P.E. 2013. "On the Importance of Frailty in Social Science Theory (and other lessons of agent-based modeling)", European Quarterly of Political Attitudes and Mentalities, Volume 2, Issue No.1, pp. 1-26, January 2013, FSP, University of Bucharest, ISSN-2285-4916 ISSN-L-2285-4916, https://sites.google.com/a/fspub.unibuc.ro/european-quarterly-of-political-attitudes-and-mentalities

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    Contact KU ScholarWorks
    785-864-8983
    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    785-864-8983

    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    Image Credits
     

     

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