Mass media competition and alternative ordering in social dynamics.

We investigate the collective behavior of a system of social agents subject to the competition between two mass media influences considered as external fields. We study under what conditions either of two mass media with different intensities can impose its message to the majority. In addition to a collective state dominated by the stronger mass media and a disordered phase, we characterize two nontrivial effects as the parameters of the system are varied: (i) the appearance of a majority sharing the state of the weaker mass media, and (ii) the emergence of an alternative ordering in a state different from those of either media.

Controlling systemic corruption through group size and salary dispersion of public servants.

We investigate an agent-based model for the emergence of corruption in public contracts. There are two types of agents: business people and public servants. Both business people and public servants can adopt two strategies: corrupt or honest behavior.

Against mass media trends: Minority growth in cultural globalization.

We investigate the collective behavior of a globalized society under the influence of endogenous mass media trends. The mass media trend is a global field corresponding to the statistical mode of the states of the agents in the system. The interaction dynamics is based on Axelrod's rules for the dissemination of culture.

From synchronous to one-time delayed dynamics in coupled maps.

We study the completely synchronized states (CSSs) of a system of coupled logistic maps as a function of three parameters: interaction strength (ɛ), range of the interaction (α), that can vary from first neighbors to global coupling, and a parameter (β) that allows one to scan continuously from nondelayed to one-time delayed dynamics. In the α-ɛ plane we identify periodic orbits, limit cycles, and chaotic trajectories, and describe how these structures change with delay. These features can be explained by studying the bifurcation diagrams of a two-dimensional nondelayed map.