HOW DOES HUMANITARIANISM SPREAD? MODELING THE ORIGINS OF CITIZEN INITIATIVES THROUGH NORM DIFFUSION

This paper describes a prototype agent-based model used to explain why and how a norm of humanitarianism diffuses through a population. The model is constructed on norm diffusion theories as a foundation for developing explaining the emergence of Citizen Initiatives in a humanitarian and development context. We assume that in the model, some agents are already norm adopters (advocates), some have a humanitarian potential that can be activated with persuasion, while others will never adopt the norm of humanitarianism under any condition. In this model, we try to determine whether parameters such as agents’ values, thresholds for accepting alternative values, values degradation, and peer-pressure affect agents’ decision to become humanitarian activists.