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  • The mentality of economic agents and institutional change: In search of an equilibrium model

The mentality of economic agents and institutional change: In search of an equilibrium model


TERRA ECONOMICUS, , Vol. 19 (no. 4),

The article deals with an generalized agent-based model which describes the system “mentality of economic agents – social institutions”. A complex of features that qualitatively characterize the mentality of the agent is proposed. The dominance of one of these features determines the agents’ mentality type. Social institutions are classified depending on the support of a particular agents’ mental group. In the tradition of agent-based modeling, the model’s space is represented as a lattice (a set of cells) located in a limited plane’s domain. Each cell represents one of the market niches for agents to conduct business activities. The agents’ state in each time step is characterized by parameters of performance and satisfaction. While functioning, agents move from one niche to another, striving to achieve maximum performance and satisfaction with their position, depending on the institutional environment. The results of experiments are analyzed based on scenario approach and conditional synthetic data, which make it possible to estimate the process of achieving an equilibrium state by the system “mentality of economic agents – public institutions”. Research findings confirm the following. First, the higher the minimum labor productivity in society, the faster the system reaches an equilibrium state. Second, fewer agents are forced to leave the system, not finding a suitable niche to conduct activities.
Citation: Kleiner G., Rybachuk M., Ushakov D. (2021). The mentality of economic agents and institutional change: In search of an equilibrium model. Terra Economicus 19(4): 6–20. DOI: 10.18522/2073-6606-2021-19-4-6-20


Keywords: agent-based model; mentality; institutions; equilibrium; computational experiment

JEL codes: D01, D02, C61, C63

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Publisher: Southern Federal University
Founder: Southern Federal University
ISSN: 2073-6606