Francesca Borin, Rossella Icardi

Computer Science and Simulation for Economics

Project work on

"Relocation."

 

The applet requires Java 1.4.1 or higher. It will not run on Windows 95 or Mac OS 8 or 9. Mac users must have OS X 10.2.6 or higher and use a browser that supports Java 1.4. (Safari works, IE does not. Mac OS X comes with Safari. Open Safari and set it as your default web browser under Safari/Preferences/General.) On other operating systems, you may obtain the latest Java plugin from Sun's Java site.


created with NetLogo

view/download model file: relocation.nlogo

WHAT IS IT?

The model deals with relocation and interaction between firms and new nations and markets.
It tries to explain which elements should be considered in the choice process of a destination country.


HOW IT WORKS

The patches represent nations and the turtles represent firms that move on the screen randomly and stop only if they find suitable conditions to relocate.
The patches have own features that the turtles observe to take their decision.


HOW TO USE IT

Click the SETUP button to set up nations and firms
Click the GO button to start the simulation
With the slider NUMBEROFNATIONS and the slider CONVENIENCE you can choose the number of nations and the level of convenience at the beginning of the simulation.
The switch SHOW-DISTANCE allows to see the distance-value of the turtles from the centre (0,0).
The switch SHOW-ADDITION allows to see the addition-variable value of the patches on their surface.
The plot FIRMS show the speed with which the turtles stop on the nations.


THINGS TO NOTICE

Watch how any SETUP show different location of the patches, that are created randomly
Watch what happens in GO procedure when the NUMBER OF NATIONS increases/decreases
Watch what happens in GO procedure when the level of CONVENIENCE increases/decreases
Watch what happens in SETUP procedures when both switch are on/off


THINGS TO TRY

Watch what happens modifing both values of the sliders.
How are the results different?


EXTENDING THE MODEL

It could be interesting to add more variable to the five variables that we have considerated


CREDITS AND REFERENCES

P.Terna, R.Boero, M.Morini, M.Sonnessa (2006), Modelli per la complessità. La simulazione ad agenti in economia. il Mulino, Bologna.