RANPOP Simulation Experiment #1
Following Thomas Schelling's "The Microeconomics of Motive"
©1999 Edward G. Rozycki

RETURN
edited 4/20/14
update link to NetLogo*

POINT OF SIMULATION: to investigate the relationship between macro- and microbehavior, e,g. policy effects vs. individual motive.

NEEDED: A checkerboard with two sets of checkers.(or multiples thereof.)

BASIC DEFINITIONS:

neighborhood (of a square) -- any immediately adjacent square, whether vertically, horizontally or diagonally.

happy -- located or distributed in accord with the rules.
BASIC RULES:
1. Minimal travel: move your "unhappy pieces" to the closest location that makes them "happy."

2. Egalitarianism: do not move a piece to where it makes another of equal or higher rank "unhappy."

3. Benevolence: minimize "unhappiness."

GENERAL PROCEDURE: Apply a rule. Mark the "unhappy" pieces.
Move them so they are "happy again. Only then remove the unhappiness marker.

Change 1: Apply the Cultural Difference Rule.


The Cultural Difference Rule: the black checkers can "tolerate" no more than 2 neighbors; the other checkers can "tolerate" no more than 6 neighbors.


Change 2: Make five checkers of each color "wealthy." Add in another set of "poor" checkers. Apply the Cultural Difference rule and the Wealth rule at the same time.


The Wealth Rule: Wealthy individuals must be made "happy" even if unwealthy ones are made or left "unhappy."


Change 3: Apply the Social Class Rule. Do not violate the Wealth Rule or the Cultural Difference Rule.


The Social Class Rule: Each wealthy individual must have at least one other wealthy individual in its neighborhood.


Change 4: Apply the Ethnicity Rule. Adjust your population so that the Social Class Rule, the Wealth Rule, and the Cultural Difference Rule are not violated.


The Ethnicity Rule: Each individual must be in a neighborhood that has at least one individual of its ethnic group.

In case of unresolvable conflicts lower numbered rules take priority.
 

The Changes
The Rules
Change 1: Apply the Cultural Difference Rule.

Change 2: Make five checkers of each color "wealthy." Add in another set of "poor" checkers. Apply the Cultural Difference rule and the Wealth rule at the same time.

Change 3: Apply the Social Class Rule. Do not violate the Wealth Rule or the Cultural Difference Rule.

Change 4: Apply the Ethnicity Rule. Adjust your population so that the Social Class Rule, the Wealth Rule, and the Cultural Difference Rule are not violated.

The Cultural Difference Rule: the black checkers can "tolerate" no more than 2 neighbors; the other checkers can "tolerate" no more than 6 neighbors.

The Wealth Rule: Wealthy individuals must be made "happy" even if unwealthy ones are made or left "unhappy."

The Social Class Rule: Each wealthy individual must have at least one other wealthy individual in its neighborhood.

The Ethnicity Rule: Each individual must be in a neighborhood that has at least one individual of its ethnic group.

EXPERIMENTS: vary the toleration ratios, or raise or lower the numbers for other rules, e.g. the Ethnicity Rule.

*NOTE: Download free software to run this simulation and others by going to the NetLogo homepage.

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