Getting started
New to microsimulation?
What is dynamic social science microsimulation?
This discussion introduces microsimulation in the social sciences by defining its underlying concepts, its historical development, its strengths and limitations, and the situations in which microsimulation is a highly appropriate simulation approach.
Microsimulation approaches
This discussion classifies microsimulation approaches, concentrating on why, what and how societies are simulated on a computer. It includes a section of explanation versus prediction as the purpose of microsimulation, and it distinguishes between cohort versus population models, cross-sectional versus synthetic starting population models, continuous versus discrete time models, and interacting or non-interacting population models.
New to Modgen?
Introduction to Modgen
This discussion introduces Modgen in general, including its underlying components (precompiler, library, automated server), the fundamental elements of a model (actors, states, events, other functions), and the key entities for input (parameters) and output (tables). Bilingualism issues and the process flow when a model is run are also part of the information that is provided.
General characteristics of Modgen applications - Exploring the model RiskPaths
This discussion outlines the foundations of a relatively straightforward teaching model, RiskPaths, used to examine childlessness. It then elaborates how microsimulation is an appropriate study approach and introduces how the visual interface that comes with Modgen helps to explore the various aspects of this model.
Modgen and the application RiskPaths from the model developers view
This discussion focuses on the basics of starting to build the teaching model, RiskPaths, using Modgen in the Visual Studio development environment. It proposes separate modules that correspond to different behaviours or roles within the model and discusses the potential contents of each module, including code samples.
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