Behavioral macroeconomics and agent-based macroeconomics

Abstract

In this article, we review the recent development of the agentbased macroeconomic models (ABMMs) using the skeleton of behavioral macroeconomics as proposed by George Akerlof. Based on the 15 models surveyed in this paper, we find that most behavioral elements addressed by Akerlof have not been well incorporated into the ABMMs. The only element which has been successfully well applied is the decision heuristics (rule-of-thumb behavior). We discuss the fundamental difficulties which cause the current deviations and highlight the expected efforts to meet the gap. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014.