This seems to be the top spot in the world to study this subject and the applications of Systems Dynamics to policy issues, so far as I can tell -- with apologies to MIT's John Sterman, whose book Business Dynamics really seems targeted to the CEO and others making more than $250,000 a year.
WPI seems more interested in stopping global warming, ecological destruction of the rainforests, etc.
What is System Dynamics?
At the simplest level, system dynamics utilizes computer simulations for the study of unintended consequences (PDF) in social systems and design of policy to avoid them. WPI offers courses and programs in system dynamics at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Learn more about the field of system dynamics...
And, "system dynamics" is defined there as followsWhat is System Dynamics?
"System dynamics deals with how things change through time, which includes most of what most people find important. It uses computer simulation to take the knowledge we already have about details in the world around us to show why our social and physical systems behave the way they do. System dynamics demonstrates how most of our own decision-making policies are the cause of the problems that we usually blame on others, and how to identify policies we can follow to improve our situation." - Jay Forrester, Professor of Management, Emeritus and Senior Lecturer, Sloan School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Founder, System Dynamics
System Dynamics is a computer based approach for modeling complex physical and social systems and experimenting with the models to design policies for improved performance. A model embodies a theory explaining internal dynamics of an abstract system built around a problem. The basic elements of a system dynamics model are stocks, flows and feedback loops. Stocks are things that accumulate, like the national debt or a business inventory. Flows are the movement of things into or out of a stock. The annual federal deficit is a flow into the stock of debt. Feedback loops convey information about the level in a stock, for example, that might that might change a rate of flow or alter some other element in a system. For example:
The implementation of system dynamics to address specific problems involves several carefully designed steps aimed at creating a clear understanding of the problem as well as the possibilities for system improvement. These steps include: 1) representation of a pattern of trends portraying the problem, for example, changes in flow rates or changes in the level of a stock, 2) identification of a causal map that qualitatively describes how the problem is created, 3) articulation of the decision relationships underlying the causal map into a computer model and 4) experimentation with the model to learn about the problem and the possible ways to mitigate it.
The modeling process can be as important at the model itself. This process assists people in identifying their assumptions and testing their beliefs and assertions about causal relationships in complex systems. Since the modeling process can present different insights and points of view in a more objective fashion, it provides a relatively neutral language and framework to help identify more subjective but also critical issues. A trained facilitator can greatly help to integrate expert knowledge into a model that represents the shared understanding of a group of people interested in the same problem.
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