Tools and Techniques for Social Science Simulation

The use of computer simulations to study social phenomena has grown rapidly during the last few years. Many social scientists from the fields of economics, sociology, psychology and other disciplines now use computer simulations to study a wide range of social phenomena. This book provides an overview of soical science simulation as a tool for modelling and theory building. It is shown how simulation may be applied to the analysis of social and economic problems using techniques such as multi-agent simulation, cellular automata and multi-level modelling. Particular attention is paid to the sensitivity analysis of model parameters. The book also describes the architecture and user interfaces of several simulation tools. The book is based on an international conference that brought together social scientists and computer scientists engaged in a wide range of simulation approaches. It represents a report on the state of the art in social science simulation.