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

Authored by Dan Miodownik, Jonas Nart

Date Published: 2008-03

Sponsors: Hebrew University Intramural Research Fund Israeli National Science Foundation Department of Political Science at Michigan State University

Platforms: No platforms listed

Model Documentation: Other Narrative Mathematical description

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

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.

Tags

Agent-based model Salience civil war ethnicity polarization Domination Greed Natural resources