The Role of Dynamic-Network Multi-Agent Models of Socio-Political Systems in Policy

Abstract

Researchers and policy makers are increasingly turning to multi-agent and dynamic-network multi-agent models to study real-world systems. The models hold particular appeal because of their intuitive representation of complex real-world systems that can be thought of as complex systems. Both policy makers and those affected by the policies influenced by these models often question whether a model is valid. We explore the intended use of these models, the extent to which they can be validated, and the consequent implications for their use in setting policy. We ground the analysis using a dynamic-network multi-agent model we are helping to develop called the Regional Threat Evaluator (RTE), applied to data from Indonesia and Thailand. We find that there are three core difficulties in validating these models: defining the appropriate operating domain, data availability, and validating a model that integrates multiple theories.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2007
Accession Number
ADA462579

Entities

People

  • Kathleen Carley
  • Marcus A. Louie

Organizations

  • Carnegie Mellon University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Computer Science
  • Computers
  • Data Sets
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Economic Impact
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Foreign Aid
  • Human Resources
  • Infrastructure
  • Language
  • Medical Personnel
  • Money
  • Multiagent Systems
  • New York
  • Simulations
  • Societies
  • Sociology

Fields of Study

  • Computer science
  • Political science

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Neural Network Machine Learning.