This text was written as part of the project Modelling of Complex Systems for Public Policy. It reviews the classical authors who jointly contributed to establish the elements of what could constitute a "science of complexity". Based on the original writings of these authors, the text discusses...

Complex systems' approach and methodologies emphasize interactions, diversity and dynamics. Complex systems perspectives also enable public policies to be considered comprehensively and simulated in all their multiplicity of sectors and scales, of cause and effect. This paper attempts to...

The goal of this paper is to evaluate the results of regional economic growth estimates at multiple spatial scales using spatial panel data models. The spatial scales examined are minimum comparable areas, micro-regions, meso-regions and states over the period between 1970 and 2000. Alternative...

Education systems can be viewed as complex systems, by considering that learning, teaching, cognition and education are phenomena resulting from interactions between the heterogeneous agents that compose such systems. Given the complex nature of education systems, new approaches seem relevant,...

The limited knowledge about the effect of deforestation on human health is an important gap for environmental and health management in Brazil and worldwide. In order to assess its occurrence and magnitude, we performed a panel analysis, linking data on deforestation and reportable diseases by...

The paper exploits a simulation environment and its output indicators to compare the performance of "ex-ante" policy instruments across housing and social welfare domains. We create a progressive score to contrast six single and mixed policy instruments against a no-policy baseline. The multiple...

Public policies are not intrinsically positive or negative. Rather, policies provide varying levels of effects across different recipients. Methodologically, computational modeling enables the application of a combination of multiple influences on empirical data, thus allowing for heterogeneous...

Theoretical models of the Kuznets Curve have been purely analytical with little contribution towards an understanding of the timing of the process and the presence of additional mechanisms affecting its timing. This paper proposes an agent-based version of Acemoglu and Robinson's model of the...

Real estate markets are subject to dynamic, ever-changing influences from location, amenities and neighborhoods; regulation, zoning and population changes; but also - macroeconomic variables, such as interest rates, inflation and economic cycles. The decision to buy or rent a durable,...