Computer Simulation and Agent Based Modelling in Political Science

Abstract

Computer simulations are being viewed with renewed interest in political science as technological advances allow easier construction of more sophisticated models. Agent based models in particular have even been hailed as a new standard of explanation for social phenomena. This panel invites papers that use computational simulation techniques to explore political science questions in novel ways or that are asking new questions by employing these techniques. Particularly welcome are papers that address the challenge of bridging the gap between the feature rich environment in silico and the data generating process that is to be explained. How can we bring the results from computational models to the phenomenon under observation? Are traditional methods of analyzing data suited for artificial data or do the assumptions built into these methods preclude meaningful insights into simulation results? What does it mean to have “grown” a phenomenon and what is the explanatory value of this recreation in a computational environment? Contributions are welcome from all subdisciplines of political science and adjacent fields.

Title	Details
GOVERNATOR Terminates HUNTER. A Simulation of Party Competition with Vote-Seeking and Office-Seeking Rules	View Paper Details
A Multilevel Model of Party Identification	View Paper Details
A Model of Party Formation and Competition	View Paper Details
The Duration of Decision-Making in Multilateral International Negotiations	View Paper Details
Political Stability: The Concept and a Technique of Computer Modelling	View Paper Details
Party Electoral Platforms with Naïve and Non Naïve Voters: A Dynamic Computational Model of Elections	View Paper Details
Why Wilders Wins. Simulation Experiments on the Effects of Party Strategy and Issue Saliency on the Electoral Support for the Dutch Radical Right	View Paper Details
Rules and Preferences: Understanding the Use of the Vote of Confidence Procedure with Agent Based Modelling	View Paper Details