This is a relatively new framework that involves agent based modelling of endogenous growth economies with network effects. It's a contribution to interweave two lines of research that have progressed in a separated way: the endogenous, ideas based macroeconomic growth models, where the representative optimizing agent is the device that allows solving different allocation decisions, and the agents based economic literature, with a strong emphasis on heterogeneity and social interactions (social networks).
Developing an agent model, where economic growth is a consequence of education (human capital formation) and innovation, we investigate the influence of the agents' social network, both on an agent's decision to pursue education and on the output of new ideas. Regular and random networks are considered. The results are compared with the predictions of a mean field (representative agent) model.