We are trying to find a community of simulation modellers who are interested in developing simulation models that exhibit alternative processes that leads to inequality (of whatever kind). To be follow by a longer-term community, grant applications and workshops.
The Shaftesbury Partnership in conjunction with the Centre for Policy Modelling is looking for simulation modellers to form a small community that aims to develop a range of alternative models to understand how inequality might arise in society, how these processes might play out, and support explorations as how this might be mitigated. The aim of this is to widen the debate on inequality and challenge simplistic or entrenched assumptions concerning the roots of inequality. Ultimately we hope that new practical and disruptive ideas will emerge from such a community that will help tackle inequality or its effects that can be brought before senior policy-makers to change lives. .
Such modellers would:
- Be actively involved in (or have the ability and motivation to be involved in) implementing, critiquing or improving simulation models of inequality;
- Be open to constructive discussion on such models and what they imply for tackling the effects of inequality (including with others from very different perspectives);
- Be able to commit small but regular amounts of time to this without additional funding (this might lead to future funded projects but not in the short-term);
- Be of any stage of seniority from post-graduate up to professor;
- Be either from academia or a modelling practitioner (developing or dealing with such models) and used to working both autonomously as well as in collaborations.
We are particularly interested in non-standard models or models that have originated in fields other than economics or econometrics, such as politics, health, sociology, physics, computer science or anthropology. One example is from physics (Bouchaud & Mézard 2000). These models need to focus on the processes that result in different kinds of inequality, but could be based on different kinds of mechanism, including: network, relationship, exchange, action-oriented, voting, agent-based, or reciprocity. The idea is to compare diverse approaches, but ones that might be applicable to understanding different aspects of inequality in the future. To sum it up, we are more interested in understanding the dynamic processes than correlated factors. Sign up to be part of this unique opportunity to contribute to, and influence, a community of like minded social innovators.
https://www.spx.ventures/our-services/inequality-exchange-simulator/get-involved/
Bouchaud, J. P., & Mézard, M. (2000). Wealth condensation in a simple model of economy. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 282(3-4), 536-545.