Joshua Epstein created SUGARSCAPE with Robert Axtell. Joshua Epstein is today Professor of Epidemiology at New York University.

This interview covers the inception of SUGARSCAPE at the Brookings Institution in the early 1990s, locating this project in the broader context of the use of computing for developing an alternative approach to social sciences (which Epstein and Axtell illustrated in their first book Growing Artificial Societies). The conversation also covers Epstein's experience with computers (starting with mainframe computers in the 1970s), the reception of SUGARSCAPE, and the challenges of interdisciplinary work.

The interview was conducted by Romain Plassard and Francesco Sergi, on behalf of the Oral Histories of Economics project.

Access to the full interview

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