Robert Axtell has done a lot of interesting work on agent-based modeling of economic systems [1]. He has a new book coming out this year about simulating national firm growth patterns based on his recent research [2], which could provide an ideological platform for experimenting with policy decisions. Agent-based modeling is relatively new and untrusted among economic policy makers, but if the success of these models is any indication we will see a shift toward a complex systems approach over the next few decades.

1: http://www.css.gmu.edu/~axtell/Rob/Research/Research.html

2: http://www.css.gmu.edu/~axtell/Rob/Research/Pages/Firms.html...