Economic Simulations in Swarm: Agent-Based Modelling and Object Oriented Programming

Computer simulations of economic systems are slowly gaining ground within the economic profession. However, such a process is hindered by a lack of communication among researchers who do not share a common language. For its object-oriented structure and its versatility, Swarm has the necessary characteristics to become a credible universal language of agent-based simulations. Economic Simulations in Swarm collects a series of original articles in such domains as macro and micro economics, industrial organization, monetary theory, and finance, all linked by a common denominator: the use of the Swarm simulation platform. Swarm, a standard set of program libraries, allows users to construct simulations where a collection of heterogeneous independent agents or elements interact through discrete events. This volume offers the first extensive tutorial to the use of these software libraries developed at the Santa Fe Institute as part of the ongoing research into complexity. The editors conceived the idea of this book while visiting the Santa Fe Institute as members of the `Working Group on Adaptive and Computable Economics'. Francesco Luna is a specialist in Computable Economics, and Benedikt Stefansson is an active contributor to the Swarm community.