Exploring Wealth Distribution Through Sugarscape

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Exploring Wealth Distribution Through Sugarscape

• Jordan Albright

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Purpose

• Analyze the wealth distribution of agents in
  Sugarscape
• Analyze effect of inheritance
• Compare calculations with other studies
• Assess validity of project in scope of social
  science

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Similar Studies

• An Agent-Based Model of Wealth Distribution
• Impullitti and Rebmann, 2002
• Studied sugarscape wealth distribution in context
  of classical and neo-classical economics
• Found it difficult to bridge model and reality in
  agent based modeling

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Similar Studies (cont.)?

• Aligning Simulation Models A Case Study and
  Results
• Axtell, Axelrod, Epstein, Cohen, 1996
• Attempted to synthesize results from Sugarscape
  and Axelrod model
• Difficult to streamline results of models when
  given same initial conditions

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Sugarscape

• Movement
• Vision
• Reproduction
• Death
• Sugar regrowth

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Wealth Distribution Analysis

• Lorenz Curve
• Proportion of distribution
• Line of perfect equality
• Basis for many other functions

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Wealth Distribution Analysis

• Gini coefficient
• Measure of inequality
• Ratio ranging from 0 to 1
• Typical range of developed countries .3 to .4

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Wealth Distribution Analysis

• Robin Hood/Hoover Index
• Max vertical distance from Lorenz curve to
  perfect distribution line
• Proportional to amount of wealth needed to be
  redistributed for equality

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Metabolism

• Inherited v. Non-Inherited
• Compated to Impullittis results

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Metabolism (cont.)?

• Inherited metabolism v. non-inherited metabolism

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Vision

• Inherited v. Non-Inherited (Vision)?

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4th Quarter Plans

• Continue running tests
• More comprehensive analysis of data
• Inheritance of wealth