Production and Conflict with Collaborative Agents

Abstract

In this paper we discuss an agent-based model capable of capturing important features of production and conflict before introducing a module to simulate collaborative decisions between agents. Collaboration may happen at the information or process level and can lead to changes in agents’ behaviors and allocations. The results show that when agents share their information they make better decisions at the individual level and economic growth also increases. Collaboration for protection makes the protection more effective, but other agents may also collaborate in their predation, counteracting the protective effect of greater collaboration. The results also confirm that in environments with heterogeneous agents that include predatory behavior, collaboration over the protection of property rights can effectively increase production and wealth.