Getting the best of both worlds?: developing complementary equation-based and agent-based models

We argue that building agent-based and equation-based versions of the same theoretical model is a fruitful way of gaining insights into real-world phenomena. We use the epistemological concept of “models as isolations and surrogate systems” as the philosophical underpinning of this argument. In part...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Gräbner, Claudius, Bale, Catherine S. E., Alves Furtado, Bernardo, Alvarez-Pereira, Brais, Gentile, James E., Henderson, Heath, Lipari, Francesca
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2017
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/111968
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/111968
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Teorías económicas
5399 Otras Especialidades económicas
Descripción
Sumario:We argue that building agent-based and equation-based versions of the same theoretical model is a fruitful way of gaining insights into real-world phenomena. We use the epistemological concept of “models as isolations and surrogate systems” as the philosophical underpinning of this argument. In particular, we show that agent-based and equation-based approaches align well when used simultaneously and, contrary to some common misconceptions, should be considered complements rather than substitutes. We illustrate the usefulness of the approach by examining a model of the long-run relationship between economic development and inequality (i.e., the Kuznets hypothesis).