Abstract

This research project proposes the modeling of collective behaviors such as flocks, industrial districts, and markets. Unlike many other approaches, the aim is to identify ways to recognize, change, and maintain the coherence of collective behaviors, as well as inducing their emergence in configurations of elements that only interact without acquiring properties. The basic assumption is that currently collective behavior is not adequately modeled for the purpose described above when intended as given by sequences of states adopted by the same system over time. Here the sequence of states of a collective behavior in time is considered as corresponding to sequences of different states adopted by systems made up of the same elements interacting with different structures. Sequences of structures are considered to establish meta-structures and their properties correspond to the coherence acquired. The project is based on the use of mesoscopic variables to represent such structural dynamics considered in turn to represent the continuous emergence of coherent collective behavior. Mesoscopic variables are specified and their properties considered as meta-structural properties (properties of sequences of structures). The purpose of this research project is to search for meta-structural properties within processes of computational emergence (computer simulated). I discuss the problem of prescribing meta-structural properties to non-coherent, disordered collective behaviors. I introduce possible approaches for applications to social systems