A Context-based Institutional Normative Environment

• Author(s): Eugénio Oliveira ; Henrique Lopes Cardoso
• Date: 2009
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10216/74458
• Origin: Repositório Aberto da Universidade do Porto
• Subject(s): Ciências Físicas; Ciência de computadores; Cibernética; Inteligência artificial
• Document Type: Part of book or chapter of book
• Language: English

Description

We explore the concept of an agent-based Electronic Institution including a normative environment that supports electronic contract formation by providing a contextual normative background. We formalize the normative state using first-order logic and define institutional rules and norms operating on that state. A suitable semantics regarding the use of norms within a hierarchical context structure is given, based on norm activation conflict and defeasibility. Norm activation relies on substitution as in first-order logic. Reasoning about the fulfillment and violation of deadline obligations is formalized using linear temporal logic; implementation with institutional rules is discussed. Examples exploiting the normative environment are given.