S1: Agent-based models for policy design towards a more sustainable world

Amparo Alonso-Betanzos
Bertha Guijarro-Berdiñas
Noelia Sánchez-Maroño
Alejandro Rodríguez-Arias

Universidade da Coruña, Spain

Abstract

Agent-based models (ABM) are powerful computational models that are able to simulate the actions and interactions of autonomous entities named agents in real-world problems. As these models are able to exhibit complex and emergent behavior patterns, they can provide valuable information about the dynamics of the emulated real-world problem being modeled that go beyond the behavior of the individual components of the model. During the last years, the social sciences have made common use of ABMs to simulate social phenomena in order to understand and predict basic aspects of social behavior. In this way, these models support the implementation and testing of different probable scenarios that allow useful conclusions to be drawn to guide the design of adequate policies promoting more sustainable behaviors. In this special session we call for innovative and high-quality papers describing both theoretical and practical approaches in this interdisciplinary topic, aiming at further insights and exploration in the field.