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How to relate models to reality? An epistemological framework for the validation and verification of computational models

Author

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  • Claudius Graebner

    (Institute for Institutional and Innovation Economics (iino), University of Bremen, Germany)

Abstract

Agent-based simulations have become increasingly prominent in various disciplines. This trend is to be appreciated, but it comes with challenges: while there are more and more standards for design, verification, validation, and presentation of the models, the various meta-theoretical strategies of how the models should be related to reality often remain implicit. Differences in the epistemological foundations of models makes it, however, difficult to relate distinct models to each other. This paper suggests an epistemological framework that helps to make explicit how one wishes to generate knowledge about reality by the means of one's model and that helps to relate models to each other. Because the interpretation of a model is strongly connected to the activities of model verification and validation, I embed these two activities into the framework and clarify their respective epistemological roles. Finally, I show how this meta-theoretical framework aligns well with recently proposed framework for model presentation and evaluation.

Suggested Citation

  • Claudius Graebner, 2017. "How to relate models to reality? An epistemological framework for the validation and verification of computational models," ICAE Working Papers 63, Johannes Kepler University, Institute for Comprehensive Analysis of the Economy.
  • Handle: RePEc:ico:wpaper:63
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    Cited by:

    1. Kristoffer Wikstrom & Hal T. Nelson, 2022. "Spatial Validation of Agent-Based Models," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Claudius Gräbner & Wolfram Elsner & Alex Lascaux, 2021. "Trust and Social Control: Sources of Cooperation, Performance, and Stability in Informal Value Transfer Systems," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 58(4), pages 1077-1102, December.
    3. Claudius Gräbner & Birte Strunk, 2020. "Pluralism in economics: its critiques and their lessons," Journal of Economic Methodology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(4), pages 311-329, October.
    4. Miguel Riviere & Sylvain Caurla, 2020. "Representations of the Forest Sector in Economic Models [Les représentations du secteur forestier dans les modèles économiques]," Post-Print hal-03088084, HAL.
    5. Patrick Mellacher, 2020. "COVID-Town: An Integrated Economic-Epidemiological Agent-Based Model," Papers 2011.06289, arXiv.org.
    6. Felder, F.A. & Kumar, P., 2021. "A review of existing deep decarbonization models and their potential in policymaking," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    7. Claudius Graebner & Amineh Ghorbani, 2019. "Defining institutions - A review and a synthesis," ICAE Working Papers 89, Johannes Kepler University, Institute for Comprehensive Analysis of the Economy.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Agent-based modelling; epistemology; models; validation; verification;
    All these keywords.

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