Principles and State of the Art of Agent-Based Migration Modelling

Abstract

Migration as an individual behaviour as well as a macro-level phenomenon happens as part of hugely complex social systems. Understanding migration and its consequences therefore necessitates adopting a careful analytical approach using appropriate tools, such as agent-based models. Still, any model can only be specific to the question it attempts to answer. This chapter provides a general discussion of the key tenets related to modelling complex systems, followed by a review of the current state of the art in the simulation modelling of migration. The subsequent focus of the discussion on the key principles for modelling migration processes, and the context in which they occur, allows for identifying the main knowledge gaps in the existing approaches and for providing practical advice for modellers. In this chapter, we also introduce a model of migration route formation, which is subsequently used as a running example throughout this book.

An Agent-Based Social Simulation for Citizenship Competences and Conflict Resolution Styles

“…In the study presented by Plikynas et al (2022), an agent-based system was developed to model the simple mechanism of how cultural events can impact the empirically observed complex dynamics of social cohesion. Another social topic that has captured the attention of researchers is migration, which is a crucial process that drives demographic changes (Hinsch & Bijak, 2022). Sansores & Pavón (2004) introduced a framework based on the Ingenias Development Kit (IDK) for the simulation of ABSS on grid computing systems to facilitate the deployment and simulation of complex social systems.…”

FPsim: An agent-based model of family planning

“…ABMs link individual-level dynamics to emergent population processes, and thus have been used in social sciences and population health to address a wide range of complex issues (Billari et al 2007; Bonabeau 2002; Grow and Van Bavel 2017; Silverman et al 2020). An incomplete list includes such a range of demographic topics as dynamic marriage markets (Bijak et al 2013; Billari et al 2007); the effects of family planning efforts on conserving panda habitat in China (An and Liu 2010); sex ratio at birth (Kashyap and Villavicencio 2017); population change after armed conflict in Nepal (Williams, O’Brien, and Yao 2017, 2021); migration and mobility (Hinsch and Bijak 2022); and fertility decline and economic growth (Karra, Canning, and Wilde 2017).…”