Literature review
- As usual, no system is completely novel.
- Have other scholars contributed to assessing agency in your particular area?
- A bit of research is always a good place to start (be sure to cite your sources).
Define the agents (decision-making actors) in your system
- List and distinguish the actors in your system which make decisions based on inputs and rules
- Recall these don’t need to be human, but certainly should include any human actors
Define agency in terms of inputs, decision rules, and behavior changes (outputs)
- Do this for ALL actors
- This is usually most easily done in if-then clauses (like writing pseudo-code)
- It works best if you can isolate the behaviors and limit the complexity of the clauses
- Be sure to identify and remain consistent in the use of “measurables”
- Be sure to think thoroughly about your “logic”
For example:
Actor 1: Bicycle Commuter
Assume the norm is that the bicycle is always taken to work
Rule 1: (temperature in C, humidity in %)
If Temperature >35 and Humidity > 40 then
Take car instead
End if
Rule 2: (note: precipitation can be none, light, moderate, heavy)
If Precipitation = HEAVY then
Take car instead
Else if Precipitation is LIGHT or MODERATE then
Wear raingear
End if
Actor 2: Cat
Assume the norm is that the cat goes outside every day
Rule 1:
If Temperature >35 and Humidity > 40 then
Stay inside
End if
Rule 2: (note: precipitation as above)
If Precipitation is NOT“NONE” then
Stay inside
End if
Discuss the dominant actor(s) and how they “drive” or “lead” the system
- Sometimes there are actors whose behaviors dominate the system
- These should be identified and their dominance reviewed
- Do their activities and decisions play too large a role?
- Are there hidden influences you’ve forgotten to address?
Discuss interactions with other systems that might have “contributory” or “opposing” agency
- Your system will most likely have some interaction with other systems
- In a nearly decomposable hierarchy (Simon, 1962), such interactions should be well defined.
- Think about whether or not your system operates in relative seclusion, or is impacted by other systems within the larger view.
- Think about how your simple rules are influenced.
- Give specific suggestions about how your simple rules must change (or not).
