Agent-Based Computational Sociology

This book presents an introduction to agent-based computational sociology and the kind of science that is done with agent-based models. The focus is on marking the difference between what is intended for sociology as a science and what is not, emphasizes is given to the idea that the complexity of social phenomena and the peculiarities of complex social systems should not condemn sociology but to embrace qualitative un-formalised historical accounts as the only methods to do research. Cooperation and Social Norms, Social Patterns and Dynamics and Future Prospects and Challenges feature throughout the book along with an accompanying website. The website will feature instructions and codes of the models. The website will also support new functionalities, such as educational programmes, further examples and research announcements. Agent-Based Computational Sociology is written in a common sociological language, along with examples of models that look at all the traditional explanatory challenges of sociology, with focus on epistemological, methodological and substantive issues, by combining theory and examples.