Modeling Economic Systems as Multiport Networks

In this paper, we demonstrate how multiport network theory can be used as a powerful modeling tool in economics. The critical insight is using the port concept to pair the flow of goods (the electrical current) with the agent's incentive (the voltage) in an economic interaction. By building networks of agents interacting through ports, we create models with multiple levels of abstraction, from the macro level down to the micro level. We are thereby able to model complex macroeconomic systems whose dynamical behavior is emergent from the micro level. Using the LTSpice circuit simulator, we then design and analyze a series of example systems that range in complexity from the textbook Robinson Crusoe economy to a model of an entire economy.