An electoral preferences model based on self-organizing maps

Authored by Antonio Neme, Sergio Hernandez, Omar Neme

Date Published: 2011-12

DOI: 10.1016/j.jocs.2011.08.003

Sponsors: No sponsors listed

Platforms: No platforms listed

Model Documentation: Other Narrative Mathematical description

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

Abstract

A model of spatial pattern formation of electoral preferences is presented. In some voting districts, patterns of electoral preferences emerge, such that in nearby areas citizens tend to vote for the same candidate whereas in geographically distant areas the most voted candidate is that whose political position is distant to the latter. Those patterns resemble the spatial structure achieved by a non-supervised neural network model, named self-organizing map. This model is able to achieve spatial order from disorder and at the same time, to form a topographic map of the external random field, identified with advertising from the media. In this model, individuals are represented in two spaces: a static geographical location, and a dynamic political position. The modification of the latter leads to a pattern in which both spaces are correlated. Numerically, we explore conditions not previously studied that may lead to these kind of spatial patterns. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tags

Agent-based modeling Social dynamics Electoral models Self-organization systems