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An Economy’s Emergent Properties and How Micro Agents with Inconsistent or Conflicting Interests Are Holistically Organized into Macro Entities

Author

Listed:
  • Forrest Jeffrey Yi-Lin

    (Slippery Rock University, Department of Accounting Economics Finance, USA)

  • Gong Zaiwu

    (Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, School of Management Science and Engineering, China)

  • Köse Erkan

    (Nuh Naci Yazgan University, Industrial Engineering Department, Turkey)

  • Galbraith Diane D.

    (Slippery Rock University, Department of Management and Marketing, USA)

  • Arık Oğuzhan A.

    (Nuh Naci Yazgan University, Industrial Engineering Department, Turkey)

Abstract

The existing literature documents that computer simulations can reveal how characteristics of micro-level individuals give rise to macro-level phenomena of systemic wholes. This paper seeks to establish such an important simulation-based observation as a theoretical result on a sound foundation. Going beyond addressing when holistic phenomena can naturally emerge from micro-level characteristics, this paper investigates how and why many macro-level entities appear to answer market calls through organically gathering micro-level agents into uniformly-oriented operational wholes, even though these agents have inconsistent or even conflicting interests. This paper develops conclusions based on results of systems science and establishes a sufficient condition under which characteristics of micro-level agents can naturally lead to the appearance of macro-level properties of a systemic whole even though the former are heterogeneous and behave in an unintended and uncoordinated manner. This paper suggests to root each theoretical result of economics on elementary facts of personal belief-value systems and expands methods of networks and computer simulations to those of systems science. It explains when macro socioeconomic phenomena emerge out of unintended and uncoordinated actions and interactions of micro economic men, and provides a more general approach for developing reliable conclusions than those observed from computer simulations. It additionally derives conditions for when macro-level economic entities appear to answer market calls and how micro-level individuals with inconsistent or even conflicting interests can be organically congregated into operational business organizations.

Suggested Citation

  • Forrest Jeffrey Yi-Lin & Gong Zaiwu & Köse Erkan & Galbraith Diane D. & Arık Oğuzhan A., 2021. "An Economy’s Emergent Properties and How Micro Agents with Inconsistent or Conflicting Interests Are Holistically Organized into Macro Entities," Naše gospodarstvo/Our economy, Sciendo, vol. 67(3), pages 53-66, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:ngooec:v:67:y:2021:i:3:p:53-66:n:5
    DOI: 10.2478/ngoe-2021-0017
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    JEL classification:

    • B41 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - Economic Methodology
    • C65 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Miscellaneous Mathematical Tools

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