Agents in Living Color: Towards Emic Agent-Based Models

The link between agent-based models and social research is a foundational concern of this journal. In this article, the anthropological concept of 'emic' or 'insider's view' is used to foreground the value of learning what differences make a difference to actual human agents before building a model of those agents and their world. The author's Netlogo model of the epidemiology of illicit drug use provides the example case. In the end, the emic does powerfully inform and constrain the model, but etic or 'outsider' views are required as well. At the same time, the way the model motivates these etic frameworks offers a strong test of theoretical relevance and a potential avenue towards theory integration.