Using SocLab for modeling and simulating political clientelism

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide an introduction to agent-based social modeling and simulation methodology. Specifically, the paper presents a concrete tool: the SocLab platform. This platform has been developed on the basis of the formalization of the sociology of organized action. SocLab makes it possible to model social organizations, analyzing their structure and simulating their dynamics over time. To achieve this aim, the paper explains a theoretical model of political clientelism developed in a previous study and illustrates the implementation of this theoretical model in a social simulation model based on agents in the SocLab platform.