Is There a Physics of Society? - Agenda

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Is There a Physics of Society? January 10-12, 2008, Santa Fe NM

Organizers: Michelle Girvan (University of Maryland) and Aaron Clauset (Santa Fe Institute)

Agenda: Thursday Friday Saturday

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

7:00pm - 9:00pm Welcome reception (Hotel Santa Fe)

Thursday, January 10, 2008

8:30am - 9:00 Introductory remarks

9:00 - 9:40 Mark Buchanan (abstract, homepage)

Prospects for "social physics"

9:50 - 10:30 D. Eric Smith (abstract, homepage)

Good social science as good physics?

10:40 - 11:00 Break

11:00 - 11:40 Rob Axtell (abstract, homepage)

Interacting Particles vs. Interacting Agents: Where is the Cut-off?

11:50 - 12:10 Discussion

12:10 - 1:10 Lunch

1:10 - 1:50 John M. Roberts Jr. (abstract, homepage)

Examining the modern history of interaction between social science and physics

2:00 - 2:40 Lars-Erik Cederman (abstract, homepage)

Toward a non-equilibrium approach to political violence

2:50 - 3:10 Break

3:10 - 3:50 Frank Schweitzer (abstract, homepage)

Enhancing social interaction: preferences, similarities, and trust

4:00 - 5:00 Discussion

7:00 Dinner (Coyote Cafe)

Friday, January 11, 2008

8:55am - 9:00 Introductory remarks

9:00 - 9:40 Luis Bettencourt (abstract, homepage)

Elements of a coarse-grained quantitative theory of Society: Physics perhaps, but like you’ve never seen it before

9:50 - 10:30 David Gibson (abstract, homepage)

Events and Their Aftermath

10:40 - 11:00 Break

11:00 - 11:40 Matthew Salganik (abstract, homepage)

The puzzling nature of success in cultural markets

11:50 - 12:10 Discussion

12:10 - 1:10 Lunch

1:10 - 1:50 Dirk Brockmann (abstract, homepage)

New Perspectives on Global Human Traffic: Scaling Laws, Emergent Geographic Communities, Geocaching and Trackable Items

2:00 - 2:40 Michael Gastner (abstract, homepage)

The Price of Anarchy in Transportation Networks

2:50 - 3:10 Break

3:10 - 3:50 Matthew O. Jackson (abstract, homepage)

An Economic Model of Friendships: Understanding the Roles of Choice and Chance in Social Network Formation

4:00 - 5:00 Discussion

Saturday, January 12, 2008

8:55am - 9:00 Introductory remarks

9:00 - 9:40 Cosma Shalizi (abstract, homepage)

Why Oh Why Can't We Have a Better Econophysics?

9:50 - 10:30 Petter Holme (abstract, homepage)

Simple models of teens, diplomats, religious cults and more

10:40 - 11:00 Break

11:00 - 11:40 Mark Handcock (abstract, homepage)

A Longitudinal Model of Network Formation: Heider's theory of Balance vs Simmel's triadic formation

11:50 - 12:10 Discussion

12:10 - 1:10 Lunch

1:10 - 1:50 Dirk Helbing (abstract, homepage)

Modeling and Simulating Social Systems from the Bottom Up

2:00 - 2:40 Carter Butts (abstract, homepage)

Is There a Viable Social Physics? Yes, No, and In Part

2:50 - 3:10 Break

3:10 - 3:50 Doyne Farmer (abstract, homepage)

Social evolution: Where are the barnacles?

4:00 - 4:30 Discussion (led by Michelle and Aaron)

4:30 - 5:00 Concluding remarks