AGENT-BASED MODELLING - A TOOLBOX FOR SOCIAL SCIENTISTS

AGENT-BASED MODELLING A TOOLBOX FOR SOCIAL SCIENTISTS In this article, we introduce agent-based models and give examples of how they have been used in various analyses of social phenomena. Computer-based models such as these take agents and their physical and social environment as a starting point to reveal the interaction patterns and structures that emerge Keywords: when agents interact. We argue that agent-based modelling can help social scientists to better understand social mechanisms and processes. Agent-based models are useful for the development of the social sciences because, to a much greater extent than analytical mathematical models, they permit the researcher to examine elements and mechanisms the nuts and bolts of complex social processes.