Abstract
We propose a “social physics” model for two-group conflict. We consider two disputing groups. Each individual i in each of the two groups has a preference s i regarding the way in which the conflict should be resolved. The individual preferences span a range between +M (prone to protracted conflict) and −M (prone to settle the conflict). The noise in this system is quantified by a “social temperature”. Individuals interact within their group and with individuals of the other group. A pair of individuals (i,j) within a group contributes -s i ∗s j to the energy. The inter-group energy of individual i is taken to be proportional to the product between s i and the mean value of the preferences from the other group’s members. We consider an equivalent-neighbor Renyi–Erdos network where everyone interacts with everyone. We present some examples of conflicts that may be described with this model.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications |
| Volume | 469 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 1 2017 |
Keywords
- Social system
- Complexity
- Statistical physics
- Monte Carlo simulations
- Networks
Disciplines
- Urban Studies and Planning
- Physical Sciences and Mathematics