These lectures develop simple models of complex social processes using nonlinear dynamics and mathematical biology. Dynamical analogies between seemingly disparate social and biological phenomena—revolutions and epidemics, arms races, and ecosystem dynamics—are revealed and exploited. Nonlinear Dynamics, Mathematical Biology, and Social Science invites social scientists to relax—in some cases abandon—the predominant assumption of perfectly informed utility maximization and explore social dynamics from such perspectives as epidemiology and predator-prey theory. The volume includes a concentrated course on nonlinear dynamical systems.
These lectures develop simple models of complex social processes using nonlinear dynamics and mathematical biology. Dynamical analogies between seemingly disparate social and biological phenomena—revo
| Introduction |
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1 | (7) |
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On The Mathematical Biology of Arms Races, Wars, and Revolutions |
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7 | (12) |
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An Adaptive Dynamic Model of Combat |
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19 | (22) |
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Imperfect Collective Security and Arms Race Dynamics: Why a Little Cooperation Can Make a Big Difference |
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41 | (28) |
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Revolutions, Epidemics, and Ecosystems: Some Dynamical Analogies |
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69 | (20) |
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A Theoretical Perspective on The Spread of Drugs |
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89 | (18) |
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An Introduction to Nonlinear Dynamical Systems |
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107 | (44) |
| References |
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151 | (8) |
| Index |
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159 | |
Joshua M. Epstein is a Senior Fellow in Economic Studies at The Brookings Institution and a Member of the External Faculty of the Santa Fe Institute. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from M.I.T., and has taught Complex Systems at Princeton and the Santa Fe Institute Summer School. His books include Measuring Military Power Conventional Force Reductions: A Dynamic Assessment and, with coauthor Robert Axtell, Growing Artificial Societies: Social Science from the Bottom Up. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife Melissa and their daughter Anna Matilda.
