Computation in Economics

This is an attempt at a succinct survey, from methodological and epistemological perspectives, of the burgeoning, apparently unstructured, field of what is often – misleadingly – referred to as computational economics. We identify and characterise four frontier research fields, encompassing both micro and macro aspects of economic theory, where machine computation play crucial roles in formal modelling exercises: algorithmic behavioural economics, computable general equilibrium theory, agent based computational economics and computable economics. In some senses these four research frontiers raise, without resolving, many interesting methodological and epistemological issues in economic theorising in (alternative) mathematical modesClassical Behavioural Economics, Computable General Equilibrium theory, Agent Based Economics, Computable Economics, Computability, Constructivity, Numerical Analysis

Functional diversity of chemokines and chemokine receptors in response to viral infection of the central nervous system.

Encounters with neurotropic viruses result in varied outcomes ranging from encephalitis, paralytic poliomyelitis or other serious consequences to relatively benign infection. One of the principal factors that control the outcome of infection is the localized tissue response and subsequent immune response directed against the invading toxic agent. It is the role of the immune system to contain and control the spread of virus infection in the central nervous system (CNS), and paradoxically, this response may also be pathologic. Chemokines are potent proinflammatory molecules whose expression within virally infected tissues is often associated with protection and/or pathology which correlates with migration and accumulation of immune cells. Indeed, studies with a neurotropic murine coronavirus, mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), have provided important insight into the functional roles of chemokines and chemokine receptors in participating in various aspects of host defense as well as disease development within the CNS. This chapter will highlight recent discoveries that have provided insight into the diverse biologic roles of chemokines and their receptors in coordinating immune responses following viral infection of the CNS

Perceptions of Nine Change Agent Roles and Related Work Variables by County Extension Agents in the Minnesota Agricultural Extension Service--1985.

The major focus of this dissertation study was on the self-expectations of Minnesota County Extension Agents as they carry out nine change agent roles in their educational work. Impetus for the study came from a 1984 report that indicated 70.5 percent of these agents felt emotional strain due to expect too much of self. . Data was collected regarding the nine roles and six work-related variables by mail questionnaire. A total of 230 usable responses were received from the 248 agents on active duty during May, 1985. The major findings of the study were generalized as follows: (1) The most positive aspects of agent self-expectations come from carrying out the roles of teaching problem solving skills, good program development, working with volunteers, and remaining flexible to meet the needs of Extension clientele. (2) The most negative aspects of agent self-expectations come from attempting to deal with issue education and accessing the total University; while perceptions regarding alternative delivery systems tend to remain ambiguous. (3) Agent self-expectations regarding self-development and risk taking can be either positive or negative as a personal motivator depending upon past experiences in the Extension organization. (4) Agent strain and reports of expect too much of self can be anticipated when there is a combination of high levels of commitment to the organization, involvement with their jobs, internal work motivation, and feelings of intrinsic reward from task accomplishment. (5) Lack of feedback on goal effort may be contributing to the feelings of strain associated with agent self-expectations, despite specific and difficult goals, and good participation in goal setting, which should aid in the agents achieving their work expectations. It was concluded that administrators should consider the high level of self-expectations as a positive indicator of dedication to the Extension organization, and rather than focus on the strain, there is need to give leadership that clarifies the mission and goals with each agent. Concerns and pressures regarding accountability could be reduced by improved communication and counseling techniques between supervisor and agent. Recommendation was made for more research on agent feedback

Not all who are bots are evil: A cross-platform analysis of automated agent governance

The growth of online platforms is accompanied by the increasing use of automated agents. Despite being discussed primarily in the context of opinion manipulation, agents play diverse roles within platform ecosystems that raises the need for governance approaches that go beyond policing agents’ unwanted behaviour. To provide a more nuanced assessment of agent governance, we introduce an analytical framework that distinguishes between different aspects and forms of governance. We then apply it to explore how agents are governed across nine platforms. Our observations show that despite acknowledging diverse roles of agents, platforms tend to focus on governing selected forms of their misuse. We also observe differences in governance approaches used by platforms, in particular when it comes to the agent rights/obligations and transparency of policing mechanisms. These observations highlight the necessity of advancing the algorithmic governance research agenda and developing a generalizable normative framework for agent governance

Not all who are bots are evil: A cross-platform analysis of automated agent governance

The growth of online platforms is accompanied by the increasing use of automated agents. Despite being discussed primarily in the context of opinion manipulation, agents play diverse roles within platform ecosystems that raises the need for governance approaches that go beyond policing agents’ unwanted behaviour. To provide a more nuanced assessment of agent governance, we introduce an analytical framework that distinguishes between different aspects and forms of governance. We then apply it to explore how agents are governed across nine platforms. Our observations show that despite acknowledging diverse roles of agents, platforms tend to focus on governing selected forms of their misuse. We also observe differences in governance approaches used by platforms, in particular when it comes to the agent rights/obligations and transparency of policing mechanisms. These observations highlight the necessity of advancing the algorithmic governance research agenda and developing a generalizable normative framework for agent governance

Deconstructing Perceptions of the Border Patrol at the U.S.-Mexico Border

The U.S.-Mexico border is a space for public debate on the legal and political aspects of immigration. Politicization of the southern border has resulted in polarized public opinion regarding immigration, leading to discrepancies between public perceptions of the Border Patrol and agents’ perceptions of their job. Agents’ work requires emotional labor, and lack of training for difficult encounters, pressure within the agency to detach from emotions, and public outcry lead to dissonance in agent perceptions of their own role in immigration enforcement. In addition, economic, ethnic, and gender-based factors contribute to agent identities, which intersect with perceptions of their roles in immigration politics; public unawareness of these factors contributes to a cycle of scrutiny that leads to agent frustration and contention

From the Theory of Mind to the Construction of Social Reality

In this paper we argue that the hypothesis of the theory of mind advanced in cognitive science can be the basis not only of the social abilities which allow interaction among individuals, but also of the construction of social reality. The theory of mind is the attribution, via the agent metaphor, of mental attitudes, like beliefs and goals, to other agents. Analogously, we attribute mental attitudes to social entities, like groups, normative systems and organizations with roles. The agent metaphor explains the necessary abilities to deal with complex aspects of social behavior, like acting in a group, playing a role in an organization, and living in a reality organized in institutions which create regulative and constitutive norms to regulate behavior. To show the feasibility of this approach we provide a computational model of the construction of social reality based on multiagent systems

Organization of Multi-Agent Systems: An Overview

In complex, open, and heterogeneous environments, agents must be able to reorganize towards the most appropriate organizations to adapt unpredictable environment changes within Multi-Agent Systems (MAS). Types of reorganization can be seen from two different levels. The individual agents level (micro-level) in which an agent changes its behaviors and interactions with other agents to adapt its local environment. And the organizational level (macro-level) in which the whole system changes it structure by adding or removing agents. This chapter is dedicated to overview different aspects of what is called MAS Organization including its motivations, paradigms, models, and techniques adopted for statically or dynamically organizing agents in MAS.Comment: 12 page