Hey this is awesome I’ve done some rebuilding of Ian Wright’s simulations in Python. I’d love to share ideas and approaches and compare. He has his own idea as to how the transformation problem gets solved and the simulations built seem to support it (at least that it’s consistent)

There are also two approaches of these simulations

1.) Is a macro approach. You simulate each sector as it’s own node or “aggregate firm” and let the prices adjust by some macro economic function. You could test out different functions.

2.) There is the micro approach. Less has been done here, but it is definitely the more fun approach. You model each firm and/or individual (each agent) and let them set their prices, activity levels (how much they produce), etc.

In both simulations, you let the agents, whether it be a aggregated sector representing many firms in the macro approach or a individual firm in the micro approach, interact and change their own states as well depending on how much money they make. You need some mechanism of “decision making”. Either dynamical equations, generative or stochastic actions, or more advanced things like Q learning agents (Ive used decentralized deep Q learning agents but it gets computationally intensive and isn’t scalable to a large micro model. And many “dumb” agents are likely superior and sufficient to intensive “smart” agents for micro models)

The two types of models have different types of economic systems they are simulating, but in each simulation the appropriate activity levels are found (the agents essentially solve q = (I-A)^-1 for the global economy) and the prices correlate to labor values. In the macro models Wright shows the prices converging to the super vertically integrated labor values which he claims are the appropriate measure of value which correspond with price.

Essentially, the indirect value that goes into producing luxury commodities, which is what the profits in the second term of p=w l + r p A + p A get realized as, should be included in a measurement of value to be commensurate with price. If one wants to discuss the technical requirements of production then the standard labor values v are to be used. If one wants to know the social requirements of production due to exploitation and have a measure of value that also relates to the price structure, then you can use Wright’s non-standard value measure.

Seeing if you can confirm or reject that work would be an interesting direction to take this in