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8 B. Edmonds and R. Meyer

exploratory growth, opposed to previous orthodoxies, has occurred over the last
15–20 years, where it was sufficient to demonstrate a new kind of model, where
opening up new avenues was more important than establishing or testing ideas
about observed systems. Now attention is increasingly turning to the questions
such as how to productively and usefully simulate social complexity; how to do
it with the greatest possible rigour; how to ensure the strongest possible relation
to the evidence; how to compare different simulations; how to check them for
unintentional errors; and how to use simulation techniques in conjunction with
others (analytic, narrative, statistical, discourse analysis, stakeholder engagement,
data collection, etc.). The field—if it is that—is maturing.
This handbook is intended to help in this process of maturation. It brings together
summaries of the best thinking and practice in this area, from many of the top
researchers. In this way, it aims to help those entering into the field so that they
do not have to reinvent the wheel each time. It will help those already in the field
by providing accessible summaries of current thought. It aims to be a reference
point for best current practice and a standard against which future methodological
advances are judged.

1.3 The Structure of the Handbook

The material in this book is divided into four parts: Introductory, Methodology,
Mechanisms and Applications. We have tried to ensure that each chapter within
these parts covers a clearly delineated set of issues. To aid the reader, each chapter
starts with a very brief section called “Why read this chapter?” that sums up the
reasons you would read it in a couple of sentences. This is followed by an abstract,
which summarises the content of the chapter. Each chapter also ends with a section
of “Further Reading” briefly describing three to eight things that a newcomer might
read next if they are interested. This is separate from the list of references, which
contains all the references mentioned in the chapter.

1.3.1 Introductory Part

The introductory part includes four chapters: this chapter, a historical introduction
(Chap. 2) that reviews the development of social simulation providing some context
for the rest of the book, an overview of the different kinds of simulation (Chap. 3)
and an examination of some of the different goals one might have for a simulation
model (Chap. 4).