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SOE: Fachverband Physik sozio-ökonomischer Systeme

SOE 16: Social Systems, Opinion and Group Dynamics

SOE 16.4: Talk

Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 16:15–16:30, MA 001

Instability Cycles in an Adaptive Network Model of Society — •Alexander Jochim and Stefan Bornholdt — Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Bremen

Political instability and violence, enduring phenomena throughout history, pose complex challenges for societies. Recent research has uncovered compelling quantitative evidence of common patterns across various societies in history. Proxy variables for average well being and societal elites have been utilized to calculate political stress [1]. However, the transition from microscopic interactions to macroscopic behavior remains poorly understood, with only qualitative theories as a guidance.

We here study an agent based toy model of society, exhibiting cycles of instability and inequality as emergent patterns resulting from simple micro interactions. This may improve our understanding of political instability by bridging the gap between qualitative theories and quantitative agent based modeling.

[1] P. Turchin, Ages of discord (Beresta Books, 2016).

Keywords: Society; Political Instability; Opinion Dynamics; Adaptive Networks; Structural-Demographic Theory