The recent economic crisis has led to calls for a comprehensive restructuring of energy, financial, health care, and educational systems. Critics worry the restructuring of these complex institutional arrangements could produce adverse unintended consequences. Given these concerns, pre-testing...

This study investigates the performance of Gale-Shapley matching in an evolutionary market context. Computational experimental findings are reported for an evolutionary match-and-play trade network game in which resource constrained traders repeatedly choose and refuse trade partners in...

This guide provides pointers to introductory readings, software, and other materials to help newcomers become acquainted with agent-based modeling in the social sciences. Related work can be accessed at: http://www.econ.iastate.edu/tesfatsi/ace.htm

This study uses an agent-based test bed ("AMES") to investigate separation and volatility of locational marginal prices (LMPs) in an ISO-managed restructured wholesale power market operating over an AC transmission grid. Particular attention is focused on the dynamic and cross-sectional response...

This essay discusses the potential relevance of artificial life research for the study of economic processes.

Using the Lefschetz fixed point theorem, a pure strategy Nash equilibrium existence theorem is established for a class of n-person games with possibly nonacyclic strategy sets. It is argued that the Lefschetz approach to fixed point theorems may ultimately prove to be particularly important in...

We exploit a major structural change that has occurred in world soccer to study the impact of incentives on outcomes in a strategic setting. A game-theoretic model is developed that captures some essential strategic elements of soccer vis-à-vis the number of points awarded to a win. The...

This paper examines the extent to which differences in risk preferences between men and women explain why women have a lower entrepreneurship rate, earn less, and work fewer hours than men.  Data from the NLSY79 confirms previous findings that women are more risk averse than men.  However,...

Bilateral contracts are important risk-hedging instruments constituting a major component in the portfolios held by many electric power market participants. However, bilateral contract negotiation is a complicated process because it involves risk management, strategic bargaining, and...

We investigate the stability of measured risk attitudes over time, using a 13-year longitudinal sample of individuals in the NLSY79. We find that an individual’s risk aversion changes systematically in response to personal economic circumstances.  Risk aversion increases with lengthening...