https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2007-00072-4
The unfair consequences of equal opportunities: Comparing exchange models of wealth distribution
Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Caixa Postal 15051, 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
Simple agent based exchange models are a commonplace in the study of wealth distribution of artificial societies. Generally, each agent is characterized by its wealth and by a risk-aversion factor, and random exchanges between agents allow for a redistribution of the wealth. However, the detailed influence of the amount of capital exchanged has not been fully analyzed yet. Here we present a comparison of two exchange rules and also a systematic study of the time evolution of the wealth distribution, its functional dependence, the Gini coefficient and time correlation functions. In many cases a stable state is attained, but, interesting, some particular cases are found in which a very slow dynamics develops. Finally, we observe that the time evolution and the final wealth distribution are strongly dependent on the exchange rules in a nontrivial way.
© EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag, 2007
