REsCape: An Agent-Based Framework for Modeling Resources, Ethnicity, and Conflict

The Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Vol. 11, No. 27, 2008

14 Pages Posted: 6 May 2008

See all articles by Bhavnani Ravi

Bhavnani Ravi

Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID)

Dan Miodownik

Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Political Science Department

Jonas Nart

ETH Zürich - Department of Mathematics

Date Written: 2008

Abstract

This research note provides a general introduction to REsCape: an agent-based computational framework for studying the relationship between natural resources, ethnicity, and civil war. By permitting the user to specify: (i) different resource profiles ranging from a purely agrarian economy to one based on the artisanal or industrial extraction of alluvial or kimberlite diamonds; (ii) different patterns of ethnic domination, ethnic polarization, and varying degrees of ethnic salience; as well as (iii) specific modes of play for key agents, the framework can be used to assess the effects of key variables whether taken in isolation or in various combinations on the onset and duration of civil war. Our objective is to make REsCape available as an open source toolkit in the future, one that can be used, modified, and refined by students and scholars of civil war.

Keywords: Agent-Based Model, Ethnicity, Salience, Polarization, Domination, Civil War, Greed, Natural Resources

Suggested Citation

Ravi, Bhavnani and Miodownik, Dan and Nart, Jonas, REsCape: An Agent-Based Framework for Modeling Resources, Ethnicity, and Conflict (2008). The Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, Vol. 11, No. 27, 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1117204

Bhavnani Ravi (Contact Author)

Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) ( email )

PO Box 136
Geneva, CH-1211
Switzerland

Dan Miodownik

Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Political Science Department ( email )

Mount Scopus
Jerusalem
Israel

HOME PAGE: http://plutomail.huji.ac.il/~miodownik

Jonas Nart

ETH Zürich - Department of Mathematics ( email )

ETH Zentrum HG-F 42.1
Raemistr. 101
CH-8092 Zurich, 8092
Switzerland

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