IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/trn/utwpas/1001.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Computation in Economics

Author

Listed:
  • K. Vela Velupillai
  • Stefano Zambelli

Abstract

This is an attempt at a succinct survey, from methodological and epistemological perspectives, of the burgeoning, apparently unstructured, field of what is often – misleadingly – referred to as computational economics. We identify and characterise four frontier research fields, encompassing both micro and macro aspects of economic theory, where machine computation play crucial roles in formal modelling exercises: algorithmic behavioural economics, computable general equilibrium theory, agent based computational economics and computable economics. In some senses these four research frontiers raise, without resolving, many interesting methodological and epistemological issues in economic theorising in (alternative) mathematical modes

Suggested Citation

  • K. Vela Velupillai & Stefano Zambelli, 2010. "Computation in Economics," ASSRU Discussion Papers 1001, ASSRU - Algorithmic Social Science Research Unit.
  • Handle: RePEc:trn:utwpas:1001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.assru.economia.unitn.it/files/DP1.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. William C. Brainard & Herbert E. Scarf, 2005. "How to Compute Equilibrium Prices in 1891," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(1), pages 57-83, January.
    2. Dixon, Peter B. & Parmenter, B.R., 1996. "Computable general equilibrium modelling for policy analysis and forecasting," Handbook of Computational Economics, in: H. M. Amman & D. A. Kendrick & J. Rust (ed.), Handbook of Computational Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 1, pages 3-85, Elsevier.
    3. Smale, Stephen, 1976. "Dynamics in General Equilibrium Theory," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 66(2), pages 288-294, May.
    4. Finn E. Kydland & Edward C. Prescott, 1996. "The Computational Experiment: An Econometric Tool," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 10(1), pages 69-85, Winter.
    5. Bridges, Douglas S. & Richman, Fred, 1991. "A recursive counterexample to Debreu's theorem on the existence of a utility function," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 179-182, April.
    6. Leigh Tesfatsion & Kenneth L. Judd (ed.), 2006. "Handbook of Computational Economics," Handbook of Computational Economics, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 2, number 2.
    7. Stefano Zambelli, 2011. "Flexible Accelerator Economic Systems As Coupled Oscillators," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(3), pages 608-633, July.
    8. Phelps, Edmund, 2015. "Seven Schools of Macroeconomic Thought," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198743903.
    9. Robert W. Dimand & John Geanakoplos, 2005. "Celebrating Irving Fisher: The Legacy of a Great Economist," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(1), pages 3-18, January.
    10. Tesfatsion, Leigh & Judd, Kenneth L., 2006. "Handbook of Computational Economics, Vol. 2: Agent-Based Computational Economics," Staff General Research Papers Archive 10368, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    11. Scarf, Herbert E., 1993. "The computation of equilibrium prices: An exposition," Handbook of Mathematical Economics, in: K. J. Arrow & M.D. Intriligator (ed.), Handbook of Mathematical Economics, edition 4, volume 2, chapter 21, pages 1007-1061, Elsevier.
    12. Shoven,John B. & Whalley,John, 1992. "Applying General Equilibrium," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521266550, September.
    13. Thaler, Richard, 1980. "Toward a positive theory of consumer choice," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 39-60, March.
    14. Herbert E. Scarf, 1967. "On the Computation of Equilibrium Prices," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 232, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    15. Samuelson, Paul A, 1972. "Maximum Principles in Analytical Economics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 62(3), pages 249-262, June.
    16. Lange, Oskar, 1970. "Introduction to Economic Cybernetics," Elsevier Monographs, Elsevier, edition 1, number 9780080066523.
    17. Hans M. Amman & David A. Kendrick, . "Computational Economics," Online economics textbooks, SUNY-Oswego, Department of Economics, number comp1.
    18. H. M. Amman & D. A. Kendrick & J. Rust (ed.), 1996. "Handbook of Computational Economics," Handbook of Computational Economics, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 1, number 1.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. K.Vela Velupillai, 2012. "Towards a Political Economy of the Theory of Economic Policy," ASSRU Discussion Papers 1217, ASSRU - Algorithmic Social Science Research Unit.
    2. K. Vela Velupillai, 2012. "The Chimera of a Complete Analysis of Economic Dynamics," ASSRU Discussion Papers 1207, ASSRU - Algorithmic Social Science Research Unit.
    3. K. Vela Velupillai, 2004. "A primer on the tools and concept of computable economics," Department of Economics Working Papers 0405, Department of Economics, University of Trento, Italia.
    4. Taylor, Lance, 2016. "CGE applications in development economics," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 495-514.
    5. K. Vela Velupillai, 2012. "Iteration, Tâtonnement, Computation and Economic Dynamics," ASSRU Discussion Papers 1213, ASSRU - Algorithmic Social Science Research Unit.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. K. Vela Velupillai & Stefano Zambelli, 2011. "Computing in Economics," Chapters, in: John B. Davis & D. Wade Hands (ed.), The Elgar Companion to Recent Economic Methodology, chapter 12, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. K. Vela Velupillai & Stefano Zambelli, 2010. "The Epistemology of Simulation, Computation and Dynamics in Economics Ennobling Synergies, Enfeebling 'Perfection'," ASSRU Discussion Papers 1002, ASSRU - Algorithmic Social Science Research Unit.
    3. John Stachurski, 2009. "Economic Dynamics: Theory and Computation," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262012774, April.
    4. K. Vela Velupillai, 2011. "The Fundamental Theorems of Welfare Economics, DSGE and the Theory of Policy - Computable & Constructive Foundations," ASSRU Discussion Papers 1125, ASSRU - Algorithmic Social Science Research Unit.
    5. Kumaraswamy Vela Velupillai, 2013. "Turing's Economics. A Birth Centennial Homage," Economia politica, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 1, pages 13-32.
    6. K. Vela Velupillai, 2011. "The Phillips Machine, the Analogue Computing Tradition in Economics and Computability," Economia politica, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 1, pages 39-62.
    7. Giovanni Baiocchi, 2007. "Reproducible research in computational economics: guidelines, integrated approaches, and open source software," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 30(1), pages 19-40, August.
    8. K. Vela Velupillai, 2010. "Introduction to the Phillips Machine and the Analogue Computing Tradition in Economics," ASSRU Discussion Papers 1008, ASSRU - Algorithmic Social Science Research Unit.
    9. K. Vela Velupillai, 2011. "DSGE And Beyond – Computable And Constructive Challenges," ASSRU Discussion Papers 1122, ASSRU - Algorithmic Social Science Research Unit.
    10. Xue-Zhong He & Youwei Li, 2017. "The adaptiveness in stock markets: testing the stylized facts in the DAX 30," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 27(5), pages 1071-1094, November.
    11. Francis X. Diebold, 1998. "The Past, Present, and Future of Macroeconomic Forecasting," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 12(2), pages 175-192, Spring.
    12. Edgardo Bucciarelli & Marcello Silvestri, 2013. "Hyman P. Minsky's unorthodox approach: recent advances in simulation techniques to develop his theoretical assumptions," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(2), pages 299-324.
    13. He, Xue-Zhong & Li, Youwei, 2015. "Testing of a market fraction model and power-law behaviour in the DAX 30," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 1-17.
    14. Mario Larch & Yoto V. Yotov, 2016. "General Equilibrium Trade Policy Analysis with Structural Gravity," CESifo Working Paper Series 6020, CESifo.
    15. Leigh Tesfatsion, 2017. "Elements of Dynamic Economic Modeling: Presentation and Analysis," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 43(2), pages 192-216, March.
    16. Rodolphe Buda, 2015. "Data Checking and Econometric Software Development: A Technique of Traceability by Fictive Data Encoding," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 46(2), pages 325-357, August.
    17. Ausloos, Marcel & Jovanovic, Franck & Schinckus, Christophe, 2016. "On the “usual” misunderstandings between econophysics and finance: Some clarifications on modelling approaches and efficient market hypothesis," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 7-14.
    18. Tesfatsion, Leigh, 2006. "Agent-Based Computational Modeling and Macroeconomics," ISU General Staff Papers 200601010800001585, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    19. Juan Manuel Larrosa, 2016. "Agentes computacionales y análisis económico," Revista de Economía Institucional, Universidad Externado de Colombia - Facultad de Economía, vol. 18(34), pages 87-113, January-J.
    20. Kemp-Benedict, Eric, 2013. "Material needs and aggregate demand," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 16-26.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Classical Behavioural Economics; Computable General Equilibrium theory; Agent Based Economics; Computable Economics; Computability; Constructivity; Numerical Analysis;
    All these keywords.

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:trn:utwpas:1001. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: assru.tm@gmail.com (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/detreit.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.