SIMSOC: What is your favourite ABM paper, and why?

On 20th October 2025, I asked the SIMSOC email list what is your favourite ABM paper, and why?. There were some great responses, which I’ve summarised here (with links to the original messages in case you’d like more detail).

Edmonds, B., Le Page, C., Bithell, M., Chattoe-Brown, E., Grimm, V., Meyer, R., Montañola-Sales, C., Ormerod, P., Root, H., & Squazzoni, F. (2019). Different Modelling Purposes. JASSS, 22(3), 6.

It provides a great overview of the different purposes ABMs can serve, and how we can justify their use depending on those purposes. This paper really changed my view of ABMs and made me feel I was standing on much more solid ground when applying them. It’s also a great starting point for anyone new to the field, as it helps discover related papers connected to the various uses of ABMs.

Bonabeau, E. (2002) Agent-Based Modeling: Methods and Techniques for Simulating Human Systems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 99, 7280-7287. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.082080899.

Provides a holistic overview of the topic, explaining ABM as both a conceptual mindset and a practical implementation approach. The work clarifies that ABM is fundamentally about microscopic, agent-level modelling rather than macroscopic or aggregate approaches. Rather than presenting abstract theory, it offers concrete case studies across flows, markets, organisations, and diffusion processes. It also explains emergent phenomena, showing how simple individual rules generate counterintuitive collective behaviour. (Peer-Olaf Siebers). (Also one of my favouries).

Farmer (2025) Quantitative agent-based models: a promising alternative for macroeconomics. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, graf027. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/graf027

It has been highly updated and is strongly assertive. (Pietro Terna).

Axtell, R.L., Farmer, J.D., 2025. Agent-Based Modeling in Economics and Finance: Past, Present, and Future. Journal of Economic Literature 63, 197–287. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.20221319

Emphasises economics and finance, but has much broader scope and appeal. It gives a very thorough (91 page) overview of ABM research. They cover all the basics and put ABMs in a broader scientific, methodological context. I really think anyone serious about ABMs cannot afford to have missed this article. Also see Farmer’s recent book Making Sense of Chaos which is plainly the best advert of ABMs I have read. Ever. (Fjalar de Haan).