[agents] Special issue of AI & Society (on agent-based modelling, socio-technical systems, public policy, sustainability)

[Tony Savarimuthu]

[with apologies for multiple copies]

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CALL FOR PAPERS - SPECIAL ISSUE OF AI & SOCIETY
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Theme: agent-based modelling, socio-technical systems, public policy, sustainability

Submissions due: 1 March 2013

AI & Society published by Springer

Special Issue Theme and Topics of Interest
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Socio-technical systems are complex adaptive entities in which social systems and technologies co-evolve.  To attain policy goals in such an environment, social and technical elements must be put to use in a combined way, and in order to understand, analyze and design such complex combined systems, advanced tools are required.  One of the major tools for understanding socio-technical systems is agent-based modelling.  In recent years, social scientists from all domains, including economists, political scientists and sociologists, together with policy makers, have been using agent-based models to develop a better understanding of their problem domains and make better decisions.

The theme of this special issue of AI & Society is agent-related research for policy domains.  Relevant are agent-based approaches to topics in policy analysis, and integration of policies within agent systems.  The special issue is motivated by the AMPLE workshop held at the ECAI 2012 conference (http://ample2012.tudelft.nl).  By gathering different perspectives, the special issue aims to explore how agent-oriented research can be used or improved to assist policy making in the social sciences.  Multi-disciplinary submissions are especially welcomed.

Topics of particular interest for this special issue include, but are not limited to:

* Rich cognitive agent models for policy design and analysis
* Agent-oriented models for decision support:
    + Social networks: influence in decision making; representation; models for simulation
    + Culture and social norms: influence in decision making; representation; models for simulation
    + Participatory design for sustainable policies
    + Integration of normative and social aspects
* Agent-based models and approaches for sustainability issues in public and private policy
* Formal methods for specifying policies in coordination and organizational structures
* Models for verification, validation and visualization of simulations for policy analysis
* Tools and methods for implementing policies in agent-based systems
* Connection of tools and methods for policy analysis (agent-based modelling, game theory, gaming, system dynamics)


About the Journal AI & Society
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AI & Society: Knowledge, Culture and Communication, is an international journal, publishing refereed scholarly articles, position papers, debates, short communications and reviews of books and other publications.  Established in 1987, the journal focuses on the issues of policy, design and management of information, communications and new media technologies, with a particular emphasis on cultural, social, cognitive, economic, ethical and philosophical implications.  Rather than concentrate on technical aspects of information and communication systems, the journal emphasizes the need to understand the potential and consequences of using these powerful tools.

Publisher: Springer


Submission Process
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Prospective authors are invited to prepare full papers according to the prescribed format: http://www.springer.com/computer/ai/journal/146
Submissions are made online: http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ample2012

Selected authors with an accepted paper in the AMPLE workshop at ECAI 2012 are requested to submit expanded and revised version of their papers, taking into full account the reviewers' comments and the discussion held during the workshop.

Guest Editors:

* Francien Dechesne, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, f.dechesne at tudelft.nl<mailto:f.dechesne at tudelft.nl>
* Amineh Ghorbani, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, a.ghorbani at tudelft.nl<mailto:a.ghorbani at tudelft.nl>
* Tony Savarimuthu, University of Otago, New Zealand, tony.savarimuthu at otago.ac.nz<mailto:tony.savarimuthu at otago.ac.nz>
* Neil Yorke-Smith, American University of Beirut, Lebanon, nysmith at aub.edu.lb<mailto:nysmith at aub.edu.lb>

We encourage potential authors to contact the editors to express their intention to submit a manuscript for the special issue, or for any questions they might have regarding scope.

Note: The journal not does impose an upper limit on the length of submissions, but submissions should be concise, with length appropriate for their content.

Important Dates
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Paper Submission: 1 March 2013
Notification: 15 May 2013
Camera-ready submission: 31 July 2013
Target publication date: Winter 2014

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