Agent-based explorations of environmental consumption in segregated networks

This chapter presents an agent-based model of household investments in high-cost, environmentally friendly technologies. Our model considers how the dynamics of adoption over time are sensitive to the strategies of firms that market these technologies. Our model shows that when firms systematically target potential adopters with a high baseline propensity for adoption, a trade-off is created between two evaluative criteria of interest to policymakers: the overall speed of technology adoption and the equity of access to these technologies between rich and poor communities. This model provides a tool for planners to diagnose the potential equity concerns that may arise from strategies that firms use to maximize their short-term interests. Models such as this enable us to evaluate strategies to simultaneously promote widespread adoption as well as equitable access to technologies that promote human well-being and the sustainable use of natural resources.