Agent-Based Models of Polarization and Ethnocentrism

Elements in Quantitative and Computational Methods for the Social Sciences

by Michael Laver

Building on the Cambridge Element Agent Based Models of Social Fundamentals (Cambridge, 2020), we move on to the next level. We do this by building agent based models of polarization and ethnocentrism. In the process, we stochastic models, which add a crucial element of uncertainty to human interaction; models of human interactions structured by social networks; and 'evolutionary' models in which agents using more effective decision rules are more likely to survive and prosper than others. The aim is to leave readers with an effective toolkit for building, running and analyzing agent based modes of social interaction.

94 pages, Paperback

Published April 16, 2020