Submissions due: 15 March 2013

AI & Society published by Springer


Special Issue Theme and Topics of Interest
==========================================

Socio-technical systems are complex adaptive entities in which social 
systems and technologies co-evolve.  To attain policy goals in such an 
environment, social and technical elements must be put to use in a 
combined way, and in order to understand, analyze and design such complex 
combined systems, advanced tools are required.  One of the major tools for 
understanding socio-technical systems is agent-based modelling.  In recent 
years, social scientists from all domains, including economists, political 
scientists and sociologists, together with policy makers, have been using 
agent-based models to develop a better understanding of their problem 
domains and make better decisions.

The theme of this special issue of AI & Society is agent-related research 
for policy domains.  Relevant are agent-based approaches to topics in 
policy analysis, and integration of policies within agent systems.  The 
special issue is motivated by the AMPLE workshop held at the ECAI 2012 
conference (http://ample2012.tudelft.nl).  By gathering different 
perspectives, the special issue aims to explore how agent-oriented 
research can be used or improved to assist policy making in the social 
sciences.  Multi-disciplinary submissions are especially welcomed.

Topics of particular interest for this special issue include, but are not 
limited to:

* Rich cognitive agent models for policy design and analysis
* Agent-oriented models for decision support:
     + Social networks: influence in decision making; representation; models for simulation
     + Culture and social norms: influence in decision making; representation; models for simulation
     + Participatory design for sustainable policies
     + Integration of normative and social aspects
* Agent-based models and approaches for sustainability issues in public and private policy
* Formal methods for specifying policies in coordination and organizational structures
* Models for verification, validation and visualization of simulations for policy analysis
* Tools and methods for implementing policies in agent-based systems
* Connection of tools and methods for policy analysis (agent-based modelling, game theory, gaming, 
system dynamics)


About the Journal AI & Society
==============================

AI & Society: Knowledge, Culture and Communication, is an international journal, publishing 
refereed scholarly articles, position papers, debates, short communications and reviews of books 
and other publications.  Established in 1987, the journal focuses on the issues of policy, design 
and management of information, communications and new media technologies, with a particular 
emphasis on cultural, social, cognitive, economic, ethical and philosophical implications.  
Rather than concentrate on technical aspects of information and communication systems, the 
journal emphasizes the need to understand the potential and consequences of using these powerful 
tools.

Publisher: Springer


Submission Process
==================

Prospective authors are invited to prepare full papers according to the 
prescribed format: http://www.springer.com/computer/ai/journal/146

Submissions are made online: 
http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ample2012

Selected authors with an accepted paper in the AMPLE workshop at ECAI 2012 
are requested to submit expanded and revised version of their papers, 
taking into full account the reviewers' comments and the discussion held 
during the workshop.

Guest Editors:

* Francien Dechesne, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, f.dechesne@tudelft.nl
* Amineh Ghorbani, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, a.ghorbani@tudelft.nl
* Tony Savarimuthu, University of Otago, New Zealand, tony.savarimuthu@otago.ac.nz
* Neil Yorke-Smith, American University of Beirut, Lebanon, nysmith@aub.edu.lb

We encourage potential authors to contact the editors to express their 
intention to submit a manuscript for the special issue, or for any 
questions they might have regarding scope.

Note: The journal not does impose an upper limit on the length of 
submissions, but submissions should be concise, with length appropriate 
for their content.

Important Dates
===============
Paper Submission: 15 March 2013
Notification: 15 May 2013
Camera-ready submission: 31 July 2013
Target publication date: Winter 2014