[cid:3358759291_30961274]
CALL FOR PAPERS
2010 Computational Social Science Society Conference
http://asu.edu/clas/csdc/events/C3SC.html
Hosted by:
Computational Social Science Society
ASU Center for Social Dynamics and Complexity http://www.asu.edu/clas/csdc/ <http://www.asu.edu/clas/csdc/>
ASU Consortium for Biosocial Complex Systems http://cbcs.asu.edu/front
November 5-6, 2010
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ
Invited Speakers:
From Hunches to Evidence Driven Policy Design: Leveraging Information through Simulation
Kevin Desouza
Constructing public policy, whether at the national or local level, is a complex undertaking. Complexity arises from the number of stakeholders involved, varying agendas and incentives, resource constraints, a multitude of interacting variables, multiple time horizons, and even political climates. Due to these complexities, we too often categorize political and social problems as 'wicked' and unanalyzable. The default option is to take a haphazard approach to policy design, most often the outcome of the ego-based debates and negotiations of the decision-makers. In this keynote address, I will argue for a move from hunches (or intuition) to evidence driven policy construction. Today, due to the advancement of computational power and modeling techniques, we can simulate complex scenarios. Simulation gives us an ability to move policy construction from an activity primarily driven by historic case analysis and intuitions, to more of an applied science, where we can actually predict and control phenomenon. Through simulation we can, with reasonable certainty, ascertain the cost, benefit, risk, impact, and value proposition of a given policy. Using examples from simulation projects, such as a project that examined strategic options for dismantling terrorist networks, I will demonstrate how we can move policy design from being an 'art' to more of a 'science.'
Kevin C. Desouza is on the faculty of the Information School at the University of Washington and currently serves as the Director of the Institute for Innovation in Information Management (I3M). He has authored Managing Knowledge with Artificial Intelligence (Quorum Books, 2002), co-authored The Outsourcing Handbook (Kogan Page, 2006), Managing Information in Complex Organizations (M.E. Sharpe, 2005) and Engaged Knowledge Management (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005), and edited New Frontiers of Knowledge Management (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005) and Agile Information Systems (Butterworth Heinemann, 2006). His most recent book is Managing Knowledge Security (Kogan Page, 2007).
Adaptive Decision-Making in Agent-Based Models: What Can Fish, Fish Schools, and Fishing Boats Teach Us About Modeling People?
Steve Railsback
The great promise of agent-based modeling is the ability to understand and reproduce how dynamics of systems (social, economic, political, ecological...) emerge from the adaptive behavior of the systems' individuals. Developing "theory" for the individual adaptive behaviors that drive complex system dynamics is therefore a new challenge and a new scientific frontier for those using ABMs. One way to develop this theory is to identify a set of patterns that characterize the dynamics that emerge from individual behavior, combine empirical knowledge of the individuals with decision-making theory to hypothesize alternative models of behavior, and then test and contrast these hypotheses in simulation experiments. This approach has been used, for example, to model how fish decide when and where to feed, how fish form schools (and birds form flocks); and is now being tried to model how fishing boat operators adapt where and how they fish to regulatory and economic conditions. Some of the most promising theory for animal decision-making is conceptually similar to classical engineering decision analysis and hence worthy of exploration in ABMs of social systems.
Steve Railsback is an environmental engineer and ecologist specializing in modeling ecological systems, individual-based ecological modeling, and assessment of instream flow needs for river fish and ecosystems. He is an adjunct professor in the Mathematics Department <http://www.humboldt.edu/%7Emath/index.html> and Environmental Systems Graduate program at Humboldt State University and previously was on the research staff at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Call for Papers
All fields of social and organizational inquiry are encouraged, including disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and multidisciplinary work. Integrative research in computational social and organizational sciences is particularly encouraged.
Submission of Abstracts
Electronic submissions of abstracts (300 words maximum) will be through EasyChair (click here to submit) <http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=2010csss <http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=2010csss> > . If you do not already have an EasyChair Account, please sign up first here <http://www.easychair.org/conferences/account_apply.cgi?iid= <http://www.easychair.org/conferences/account_apply.cgi?iid=> >
The abstract should articulate the objectives of the presenter, a brief but thorough description of the research, and the expected gain by those attending the talk. Specific details about submission will posted in the papers section of the conference website (http://asu.edu/clas/csdc/events/C3SC.html). When you submit your abstract, please identify your first and second choice of themes that best represent your work from the following list:
* Organization and Networks
* Theory and Models
* Policy and Markets
* Population Movement
* Validity and Models
* Games and Decision-Making
Important Dates
July 1, 2010: Deadline for submission of abstracts or proposed posters.
August 1, 2010: Acceptance/Rejection notification.
September 15, 2010: Final camera-ready abstracts due in electronic form. Accepted abstracts will be distributed to the conference participants.
Review process
All submissions will be peer reviewed by at least two reviewers. We will be accepting only those abstracts that indicate high quality research and are consistent with the objectives of the conference.
Conference Chair
William A. Griffin, Ph.D.
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-4804
(480)727-9833
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http://www.public.asu.edu/~atwag
http://www.asu.edu/clas/csdc/
If you have questions please contact:
Lyn Mowafy, Coordinator
ASU Center for Social Dynamics and Complexity
IS&T Building 1, Room 412
480-727-9746
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