Conceptualising Recognition Justice for Agent-Based Modelling in the Context of Resource Scarcity

Abstract

Recognition justice is a form of justice that is achieved when people from different backgrounds can participate in society as peers, without having to assimilate to a dominant party. It is currently not being represented in climate change or conflict models.

This research aims to conceptualise recognition justice for use in agent-based models (ABMs), with focus on the context of resource scarcity. The conceptualisation was made using elements identified from literature. From these elements, recognition justice was defined as the absence of recognition injustices. To conceptualise it for modelling, these injustices were further specified as a series of individual misrecognition events that are caused by adversary actors. The events have a type and an intensity and they elicit an emotional response. Emotional responses to misrecognition events build up over time to form an emotional sentiment. This is a long-term disposition of an actor towards an adversary person or group. It is the main metric to represent recognition injustice, and it also influences emotional responses to individual events.

The conceptualisation was applied in an agent-based model representing the farmer-herder conflict over scarce natural resources in the Dosso region in Niger. The purpose of this model was to gain insight in how the conceptualisation acts when implemented. From the model behaviour it is concluded that the recognition justice conceptualisation does contribute to scientific research by offering a way to implement recognition justice in agent-based models.