Social Simulation using R Lyndon Walker Department of Statistics and Department of Sociology, University of Auckland lk.walker@auckland.ac.nz Social simulation provides an effective means of observing the effects of complex social interactions and decision making which are too complex to be modelled by traditional statistical techniques. It is a technique which is growing in popularity, however, it is more regularly utilised by social scientists than statisticians. As a result, the software which has been developed for social simulation tends to lack some of the flexibility and analytical power that we see in statistical programmes like R. This paper examines the conversion of a social simulation model from a common freeware simulation programme into R. As a programming tool, R provided a simple interface and a familiar and flexible language which made the creation of a social simulation programme as easy as it was with the dedicated simulation tool, but it also provided a plethora of useful statistical functions with which to analyse the simulation output. By demonstrating the ease and effectiveness with which social simulation can be performed in R, I hope to be able to promote R to a broader audience of social scientists who would not normally use it.