TLQS Workshop on Limits to Collective Agency | (smr 3937) (06-10 May 2024)

Administration

Description

An ICTP Meeting in person

The ability to take collective actions, i.e. collective agency, is a key limiting factor for sustainability. Collective agency entails, among other things, identifying problems, understanding them, finding solutions, establishing consensus and implementing actions.
Each of these aspects imposes limits and challenges on collective agency and they entail non-trivial trade-offs, e.g. between efficiency and resilience, or between individual freedom and social welfare. Understanding these aspects is key for realistic efforts towards a sustainable future.

The workshop will discuss collective agency from different angles (sociology, political science, evolution of cultures, collective behaviour of animal groups and in artificial societies, neuroscience), drawing from different disciplines.

The workshop aims at promoting scientific research on these subjects, by identifying specific questions that can be tackled in a quantitative manner.

The workshop is supported by National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) and Trieste International Foundation for the Progress and Freedom of Sciences (FIT) as part of The Laboratory on Quantitative Sustainability (TLQS) initiative.

Speakers:

Erol AKÇAY, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Madhur ANAND, University of Guelph, Canada
Marco Tulio ANGULO, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
Elsa Anabelle ARCAUTE AIZPURU, UCL, UK
Jeferson Jacob ARENZON, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Luis Miguel BETTENCOURT, University of Chicago Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation, USA
Fabio CACCIOLI, University College London, UK
Brian FATH, Towson University, USA
Deborah Mary GORDON, Stanford University Department of Biology, USA
Ulrike HAHN, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
Mohammad M. HERZALLAH, Palestinian Neuroscience Initiative Al-Quds University, State of Palestine
Thomas HILLS, University of Warwick, UK
Sanjay JAIN, University of Delhi, India
May LIM, National Institute of Physics University of the Philippines Diliman, Philippines
Giacomo LIVAN, University of Pavia, Italy
Pablo Angel MARQUET ITURRIAGA, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile
Onofrio MAZZARISI, Max-Planck-Institut für Mathematik in den Naturwissenschaften, Germany
Helga NOWOTNY, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
Henrik OLSSON, Santa Fe Institute, USA
Joshua B. PLOTKIN, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Matteo SMERLAK, ESPCI Paris - PSL Laboratoire Biophysique et Evolution, France
Alexander James STEWART, University of St. Andrews, UK
Stefan THURNER, Complexity Science Hub Vienna, Austria
Elke U. WEBER, Princeton University, USA
Karoline WIESNER, University of Potsdam, Germany
David WOLPERT, Santa Fe Institute, USA

Call for Contributed Abstracts: All applicants are requested to submit an abstract for a poster presentation. Abstract templates are available below for download.

Grants:
A limited number of grants are available to support the attendance of selected participants, with priority given to participants from developing countries. There is no registration fee.

Material

Abstract templates Poster Preliminary list of participants

TLQS Workshop on Limits to Collective Agency | (smr 3937)

Go to day

Monday, 6 May 2024

08:30 - 09:00

08:30 Registration formalities 30' ( Adriatico Guest House - Registration desk (Lower Level 1) )

REGISTRATION: Upon arrival, Visitors not staying in the ICTP Guest Houses, are kindly requested to complete registration formalities at the Adriatico Guesthouse - Registration Desk (Lower level) from 08:30 to 9:00.

09:00 - 17:30

09:00 Welcome Remarks 30'

Speaker:	Nicola CASAGLI (National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS, Italy) - remote, Stefano FANTONI (FIT, Italy), Matteo MARSILI (ICTP, Italy)
Material:	Video

09:30 Introduction and poster presentations 1h0'

Material: Video
10:30 Coffee break 30'

11:00 Collective Agency in Context 1h30'

Chair persons:
Mirta GALESIC (Santa Fe Institute, USA), 
Alexander James STEWART (University of St. Andrews, UK)

Speaker:	Helga NOWOTNY (ETH Zürich, Switzerland)
Material:	Video

12:30 Group photo 5'
12:35 Lunch break 1h25'

14:00 Social annealing and the fallacy of fairness: Core trade-offs in collective action 1h30'

Chair persons:
Henrik OLSSON (Santa Fe Institute, USA), 
Matteo SMERLAK (ESPCI Paris - PSL Laboratoire Biophysique et Evolution, France)

Speaker:	Thomas HILLS (University of Warwick, UK)
Material:	Video

15:30 Coffee break 30'

16:00 Toward a quantitative political science – using statistical physics to understand drivers of political regime change 1h30'

Chair persons:
Luis Miguel BETTENCOURT (University of Chicago Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation, USA), 
Onofrio MAZZARISI (Max-Planck-Institut für Mathematik in den Naturwissenschaften, Germany)

Speaker:

Karoline WIESNER (University of Potsdam, Germany)

18:30 - 21:00
- 18:30 Welcome Reception 2h30' ( Adriatico Guest House - Cafeteria )
```
All participants are cordially invited to the Welcome Reception.
```

Tuesday, 7 May 2024

09:00 - 17:30

09:00 Structure and collective learning in groups 1h30'

Chair persons:
Brian FATH (Towson University, USA),
Pablo Angel MARQUET ITURRIAGA (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile)

Speaker:	Erol AKÇAY (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
Material:	Video

10:30 Coffee break 30'
11:00 The Ecology of Collective Behavior 1h30'
```
Chair persons:
Sanjay JAIN (University of Delhi, India),
Giacomo LIVAN (University of Pavia, Italy)
```
Speaker: Deborah Mary GORDON (Stanford University Department of Biology, USA)
12:30 Lunch break 1h30'

14:00 The Costs of Belief Polarization 30'

remotely

Speaker:	Ulrike HAHN (Birkbeck College, University of London, UK)
Material:	Video

14:30 Navigating uncertainty: the evolution of social behaviors and risk preferences 30'

remotely

Speaker:	Joshua B. PLOTKIN (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
Material:	Video

15:00 Decision Making in Complex Realities 30'

remotely

Speaker:	Elke U. WEBER (Princeton University, USA)
Material:	Video

15:30 Coffee break 30'
16:00 Public Goods, Social Externalities, Political Polarization, and Collective Intelligence 1h30'
```
(remotely)
Chair persons:
Elsa Anabelle ARCAUTE AIZPURU (UCL, UK)
```
Speaker: Simon LEVIN (Princeton University, USA)

Wednesday, 8 May 2024
- 09:30 - 17:30
  - 09:30 Collective Action as a Clumsy Solution: Reflections from systems ecology 30'
    
    Speaker: Brian David FATH (Towson University, USA)
  - 10:00 Impact, inequality and success in academic careers 30'
    
    Speaker: Giacomo LIVAN (University of Pavia, Italy)
  - 10:30 Coffee break 30'
  - 11:00 Thinking about thinking about groups 30'
    
    Speaker: Alexander James STEWART (University of St. Andrews, UK)
  - 11:30 A dictionary to translate problems of collective agency into machine learning; oh brave new world with such wonders in it! 30'
    
    Speaker: David WOLPERT (Santa Fe Institute, USA)
  - 12:00 Intro teams 30'
  - 12:30 Lunch break 1h30'
  - 14:00 Team discussion 1h30'
  - 15:30 Coffee break 30'
  - 16:00 Team discussion 1h30'
Thursday, 9 May 2024
- 09:30 - 17:30
  - 09:30 TBA 30'
    
    Speaker: Elsa ARCAUTE (UCL, UK)
  - 10:00 TBA 30'
    
    Speaker: Matteo SMERLAK (ESPCI Paris - PSL Laboratoire Biophysique et Evolution, France)
  - 10:30 Coffee break 30'
  - 11:00 Team discussion 1h30'
  - 12:30 Lunch break 1h30'
  - 14:00 Team discussion 1h30'
  - 15:30 Coffee break 30'
  - 16:00 Team discussion 1h30'
Friday, 10 May 2024
- 09:00 - 14:00
  - 09:00 Summary and perspectives 1h30'
```
Chairpersons: 
Madhur ANAND (University of Guelph, Canada), 
May LIM (National Institute of Physics University of the Philippines Diliman, Philippines), 
Fabio CACCIOLI (University College London, UK)
```
  - 10:30 Coffee break 30'
  - 11:00 TBA 45'
    
    Speaker: Sanjay JAIN (University of Delhi, India)
  - 11:45 Information as the source of collective behavior 45'
    
    Speaker: Luis Miguel BETTENCOURT (University of Chicago Mansueto Institute for Urban Innovation, USA)
  - 12:30 Lunch break 1h30'