Schelling and Sakoda prominently proposed computational models suggesting that strong ethnic residential segregation can be the unintended outcome of a self-reinforcing dynamic driven by choices of individuals with rather tolerant ethnic preferences. There are only few attempts to apply this view to school choice, another important arena in which ethnic segregation occurs. In the current paper, we explore with an agent-based theoretical model similar to those proposed for residential segregation, how ethnic tolerance among parents can affect the level of school segregation. More specifically, we ask whether and under which conditions school segregation could be reduced if more parents hold tolerant ethnic preferences. We move beyond earlier models of school segregation in three ways. First, we model individual school choices using a random utility discrete choice approach. Second, we vary the pattern of ethnic segregation in the residential context of school choices systematically, comparing residential maps in which segregation is unrelated to parents’ level of tolerance to residential maps reflecting their ethnic preferences. Third, we introduce heterogeneity in tolerance levels among parents belonging to the same group. Our simulation experiments suggest that ethnic school segregation can be a very robust phenomenon, occurring even when about half of the population prefers mixed to segregated schools. However, we also identify a “sweet spot” in the parameter space in which a larger proportion of tolerant parents makes the biggest difference. This is the case when parents have moderate preferences for nearby schools and there is only little residential segregation. Further experiments are presented that unravel the underlying mechanisms.

This is an agent-based model that captures the dynamic processes related to moving from an educational system where the school a student attends is based on assignment to a neighborhood school, to one that gives households more choice among existing and newly formed public schools.

Due to teacher requests to represent changes in atomic radius, we developed a visualization of the first 36 elements in Netlogo

In this model, the spread of a virus disease in a network consisting of school pupils, employed, and umemployed people is simulated. The special feature in this model is the distinction between different types of links: family-, friends-, school-, or work-links. In this way, different governmental measures can be implemented in order to decelerate or stop the transmission.

This model is to match students and schools using real-world student admission mechanisms. The mechanisms in this model are serial dictatorship, deferred acceptance, the Boston mechanism, Chinese Parallel, and the Taipei mechanism.

A hybrid predator-prey model of fish and plankton that switches dynamically between ABM and SD representations. It contains 6 related structural designs of the same model.

Fertility Tradeoffs is an agent-based model that examines how parental investment strategies evolve under density-dependent conditions. Humans occupy territories that compete for limited space, and reproduction requires both resources and available territory. Individuals inherit investment strategies that determine how much time and resources are required to raise a child, creating a tradeoff between number of children and investment per child. As space fills, territory costs increase and population growth slows, producing logistic-like dynamics. By manipulating child mortality and resource availability, the model demonstrates how environmental conditions shape both population outcomes and the evolution of reproductive strategies.

A simple theoretical agent-based model intending to represent anxiety in students is presented. In this, agents make two decisions each simulation tick, whether to: socialise and go to school (on school days). Circular causation can result in some agents entering a negative loop of high-anxiety and avoidance, even whilst most improve their skills and develop lower levels of anxiety. We compare three different mechanisms that may lie behind decision-making under anxiety: expect the worst, avoid uncertainty and avoid anxiety. Results indicate that, although these are often indistinguishable in terms of some obvious aggregate measures on the outcomes, they do exhibit different underlying dynamics.

This theoretical model includes forested polygons and three types of agents: forest landowners, foresters, and peer leaders. Agent rules and characteristics were parameterized from existing literature and an empirical survey of forest landowners.

Final project version - still needs a bit of work for being completly operational