32,941 research outputs found
Homo Socionicus: a Case Study of Simulation Models of Norms
This paper describes a survey of normative agent-based social simulation models. These models are examined from the perspective of the foundations of social theory. Agent-based modelling contributes to the research program of methodological individualism. Norms are a central concept in the role theoretic concept of action in the tradition of Durkheim and Parsons. This paper investigates to what extend normative agent-based models are able to capture the role theoretic concept of norms. Three methodological core problems are identified: the question of norm transmission, normative transformation of agents and what kind of analysis the models contribute. It can be shown that initially the models appeared only to address some of these problems rather than all of them simultaneously. More recent developments, however, show progress in that direction. However, the degree of resolution of intra agent processes remains too low for a comprehensive understanding of normative behaviour regulation.Norms, Normative Agent-Based Social Simulation, Role Theory, Methodological Individualism
Field-Theoretic Weyl Deformation Quantization of Enlarged Poisson Algebras
-algebraic Weyl quantization is extended by allowing also degenerate
pre-symplectic forms for the Weyl relations with infinitely many degrees of
freedom, and by starting out from enlarged classical Poisson algebras. A
powerful tool is found in the construction of Poisson algebras and
non-commutative twisted Banach--algebras on the stage of measures on the not
locally compact test function space. Already within this frame strict
deformation quantization is obtained, but in terms of Banach--algebras
instead of -algebras. Fourier transformation and representation theory of
the measure Banach--algebras are combined with the theory of continuous
projective group representations to arrive at the genuine -algebraic
strict deformation quantization in the sense of Rieffel and Landsman. Weyl
quantization is recognized to depend in the first step functorially on the (in
general) infinite dimensional, pre-symplectic test function space; but in the
second step one has to select a family of representations, indexed by the
deformation parameter . The latter ambiguity is in the present
investigation connected with the choice of a folium of states, a structure,
which does not necessarily require a Hilbert space representation.Comment: This is a contribution to the Special Issue on Deformation
Quantization, published in SIGMA (Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry:
Methods and Applications) at http://www.emis.de/journals/SIGMA
How groups can foster consensus: The case of local cultures
A local culture denotes a commonly shared behaviour within a cluster of
firms. Similar to social norms or conventions, it is an emergent feature
resulting from the firms' interaction in an economic network. To model these
dynamics, we consider a distributed agent population, representing e.g. firms
or individuals. Further, we build on a continuous opinion dynamics model with
bounded confidence (), which assumes that two agents only interact if
differences in their behaviour are less than . Interaction results in
more similarity of behaviour, i.e. convergence towards a common mean. This
framework is extended by two major concepts: (i) The agent's in-group
consisting of acquainted interaction partners is explicitly taken into account.
This leads to an effective agent behaviour reflecting that agents try to
continue to interact with past partners and thus to keep sufficiently close to
them. (ii) The in-group network structure changes over time, as agents can form
new links to other agents with sufficiently close effective behaviour or delete
links to agents no longer close in behaviour. Thus, our model provides a
feedback mechanism between the agents' behaviour and their in-group structure.
Studying its consequences by means of agent-based computer simulations, we find
that for narrow-minded agents (low ) the additional feedback helps to
find consensus more often, whereas for open-minded agents (high )
this does not hold. This counterintuitive result is explained by simulations of
the network evolution
Group-theoretic compactification of Bruhat-Tits buildings
Let GF denote the rational points of a semisimple group G over a
non-archimedean local field F, with Bruhat-Tits building X. This paper contains
five main results. We prove a convergence theorem for sequences of parahoric
subgroups of GF in the Chabauty topology, which enables to compactify the
vertices of X. We obtain a structure theorem showing that the Bruhat-Tits
buildings of the Levi factors all lie in the boundary of the compactification.
Then we obtain an identification theorem with the polyhedral compactification
(previously defined in analogy with the case of symmetric spaces). We finally
prove two parametrization theorems extending the BruhatTits dictionary between
maximal compact subgroups and vertices of X: one is about Zariski connected
amenable subgroups, and the other is about subgroups with distal adjoint
action
Limits of kernel operators and the spectral regularity lemma
We study the spectral aspects of the graph limit theory. We give a
description of graphon convergence in terms of converegnce of eigenvalues and
eigenspaces. Along these lines we prove a spectral version of the strong
regularity lemma. Using spectral methods we investigate group actions on
graphons. As an application we show that the set of isometry invariant graphons
on the sphere is closed in terms of graph convergence however the analogous
statement does not hold for the circle. This fact is rooted in the
representation theory of the orthogonal group
Mechanisms of Endogenous Institutional Change
This paper proposes an analytical-cum-conceptual framework for understanding the nature of institutions as well as their changes. In doing so, it attempts to achieve two things: First, it proposes a way to reconcile an equilibrium (endogenous) view of institutions with the notion of agents’ bounded rationality by introducing such concepts as a summary representation of equilibrium as common knowledge of agents. Second, it specifies some generic mechanisms of institutional coherence and change -- overlapping social embededdness, Schumpeterian innovation in bundling games and dynamic institutional complementarities -- useful for understanding the dynamic interactions of economic, political, social and organizational factors.
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