Advances in Social Simulation 2015

1. A Network Analytic Approach to Investigating a Land-Use Change Agent-Based Model

   • Ju-Sung Lee​, Tatiana Filatova

   Pages 231-240

2. Network Influence Effects in Agent-Based Modelling of Civil Violence

   • Carlos Lemos, Helder Coelho, Rui J. Lopes

   Pages 241-254

3. Modeling the Evolution of Ideological Landscapes Through Opinion Dynamics

   • Jan Lorenz

   Pages 255-266

4. Changing Habits Using Contextualized Decision Making

   • Rijk Mercuur, Frank Dignum, Yoshihisa Kashima

   Pages 267-272

5. SocialSIM: Real-Life Social Simulation as a Field for Students’ Research Projects and Context of Learning

   • Larissa Mogk

   Pages 273-276

6. Simulating Thomas Kuhn’s Scientific Revolutions: The Example of the Paradigm Change from Systems Dynamics to Agent Based Modelling

   • Georg P. Mueller

   Pages 277-291

7. Urban Dynamics Simulation Considering the Allocation of a Facility for Stopped Off

   • Hideyuki Nagai, Setsuya Kurahashi

   Pages 293-306

8. Using ABM to Clarify and Refine Social Practice Theory

   • Kavin Narasimhan, Thomas Roberts, Maria Xenitidou, Nigel Gilbert

   Pages 307-319

9. Transition to Low-Carbon Economy: Simulating Nonlinearities in the Electricity Market, Navarre Region, Spain

   • Leila Niamir, Tatiana Filatova

   Pages 321-327

10. Statistical Verification of the Multiagent Model of Volatility Clustering on Financial Markets

    • Tomasz Olczak, Bogumił Kamiński, Przemysław Szufel

    Pages 329-333

11. Social Amplification of Risk Framework: An Agent-Based Approach

    • Bhakti Stephan Onggo

    Pages 335-339

12. How Precise Are the Specifications of a Psychological Theory? Comparing Implementations of Lindenberg and Steg’s Goal-Framing Theory of Everyday Pro-environmental Behaviour

    • Gary Polhill, Nick Gotts

    Pages 341-354

13. Lessons Learned Replicating the Analysis of Outputs from a Social Simulation of Biodiversity Incentivisation

    • Gary Polhill, Lorenzo Milazzo, Terry Dawson, Alessandro Gimona, Dawn Parker

    Pages 355-365

14. The Pursuit of Happiness: A Model of Group Formation

    • Andrea Scalco, Andrea Ceschi, Riccardo Sartori

    Pages 367-371

15. The Social Learning Community-Modeling Social Change from the Bottom-Up

    • Geeske Scholz

    Pages 373-377

16. Understanding and Predicting Compliance with Safety Regulations at an Airline Ground Service Organization

    • Alexei Sharpanskykh, Rob Haest

    Pages 379-392

17. Opinions on Contested Infrastructures Over Time: A Longitudinal, Empirically Based Simulation

    • Annalisa Stefanelli

    Pages 393-400

18. Road Repair Sequencing for Disaster Victim Evacuation

    • Kumiko Tadano, Yoshiharu Maeno, Laura Carnevali

    Pages 401-412

19. Using Empirical Data for Designing, Calibrating and Validating Simulation Models

    • Klaus G. Troitzsch

    Pages 413-427

20. A Methodology for Simulating Synthetic Populations for the Analysis of Socio-technical Infrastructures

    • Koen H. van Dam, Gonzalo Bustos-Turu, Nilay Shah

    Pages 429-434

This book highlights recent developments in the field, presented at the Social Simulation 2015 conference in Groningen, The Netherlands. It covers advances both in applications and methods of social simulation. Societal issues addressed range across complexities in economic systems, opinion dynamics and civil violence, changing mobility patterns, different land-use, transition in the energy system, food production and consumption, ecosystem management and historical processes. Methodological developments cover how to use empirical data in validating models in general, formalization of behavioral theory in agent behavior, construction of artificial populations for experimentation, replication of models, and agent-based models that can be run in a web browser.


Social simulation is a rapidly evolving field. Social scientists are increasingly interested in social simulation as a tool to tackle the complex non-linear dynamics of society. Furthermore, the software and hardware tools available for social simulation are becoming more and more powerful. This book is an important source for readers interested in the newest developments in the ways in which the simulation of social interaction contributes to our understanding and managing of complex social phenomena.

• applications of social simulation
• methods of social simulation
• opinion dynamics
• simulation human interaction
• changing mobility patterns

• University College Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

  Wander Jager

• Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

  Rineke Verbrugge

• Faculty for Social and Behavioural Sciences, Department of Sociology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

  Andreas Flache

• Faculty of Spatial Sciences, Department of Spatial Planning and Environment, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

  Gert de Roo

• Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

  Lex Hoogduin

• Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Department of Behavioural Ecology and Self-organisation, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

  Charlotte Hemelrijk

The editors are collaborators at the Groningen Center for Social Complexity Studies (GCSCS) and organised the Social Simulation Conference 2015 in Groningen, The Netherlands. The GCSCS serves as a platform connecting researchers at or affiliated with the University of Groningen working in the field of social complexity. The aim of the GCSCS is to provide high quality research and education, interacting actively with business, government and the public, and in particular to address the goal of stimulating cross-border research and education.

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