2009/07/13 by Sébastian Grauwin, Eric Bertin, Rémi Lemoy +1 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #physics.soc-ph #cond-mat.stat-mech
paper · pdf · doi:10.1073/pnas.0906263106
published as Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 106, 20622 (2009). · 5 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PNAS
Linking the microscopic and macroscopic behavior is at the heart of many natural and social sciences. This apparent similarity conceals essential differences across disciplines: while physical particles are assumed to optimize the global energy, economic agents maximize their own utility. Here, we solve exactly a Schelling-like segregation model, which interpolates continuously between cooperative and individual dynamics. We show that increasing the degree of cooperativity induces a qualitative transition from a segregated phase of low utility towards a mixed phase of high utility. By introducing a simple function which links the individual and global levels, we pave the way to a rigorous approach of a wide class of systems, where dynamics is governed by individual strategies.