The Cowl - v.8 - n.6 - Nov 6, 1942

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 8, Number 6 - Nov 6, 1942. 4 pages

The Cowl - v.6 - n.6 - Nov 8, 1940

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Volume 6, Number 6 - Nov 8, 1940. 4 pages

Does Empirical Embeddedness Matter? Methodological Issues on Agent-Based Models for Analytical Social Science

The paper deals with the use of empirical data in social science agent-based models. Agent-based models are too often viewed just as highly abstract thought experiments conducted in artificial worlds, in which the purpose is to generate and not to test theoretical hypotheses in an empirical way. On the contrary, they should be viewed as models that need to be embedded into empirical data both to allow the calibration and the validation of their findings. As a consequence, the search for strategies to find and extract data from reality, and integrate agent-based models with other traditional empirical social science methods, such as qualitative, quantitative, experimental and participatory methods, becomes a fundamental step of the modelling process. The paper argues that the characteristics of the empirical target matter. According to characteristics of the target, ABMs can be differentiated into case-based models, typifications and theoretical abstractions. These differences pose different challenges for empirical data gathering, and imply the use of different validation strategies.Agent-Based Models, Empirical Calibration and Validation, Taxanomy of Models

Political Economy and Life Course Patterns

We explore the strong linkages between macro changes and the dynamics of educational, occupational, family, and residential careers of young Spanish adults born between 1945 and 1974. We review theory and evidence on macro factors: changes in the welfare system, centrality of the family as a service provider, and the changing role of women. We outline some hypotheses of how life course trajectories, and their heterogeneity, change across cohorts. We build data on sequences of states using FFS. In our analysis, we find an increase in the discontinuity of careers and of the heterogeneity among cohort members, especially for employment. Women's careers are becoming more similar to those of men. Family and household formation is postponed, with a limited spread of post-nuclear family forms.delayed transition to adulthood, life course, postponement of family formation, sequence analysis, Spain, young adults

The Cowl - v.44 - n.8 - Nov 6, 1985

The Cowl - student newspaper of Providence College. Vol 44 - No. 8 - November 6, 1985. 20 pages