Towards Modeling Economic Ecosystems: an Initial Model and Preliminary Validation

Abstract. We introduce an approach to modeling economies that fo-cuses on the interconnectedness of economic agents. This ecosystem-based approach allows us to enhance our understanding of economic growth by accounting for how the interactions of one agent directly im-pacts the local neighborhood and indirectly impacts the global system. The specific approach that we take to modeling economic ecosystems emphasizes technology and innovation in an attempt to account for gaps in the current literature on economic growth.