Open AccessA Typology for Characterizing Human Action in MultiSector Dynamics Models
Author(s) -
Yoon Jim,
RomeroLankao Patricia,
Yang Y. C. Ethan,
Klassert Christian,
Urban Nathan,
Kaiser Kendra,
Keller Klaus,
Yarlagadda Brinda,
Voisin Nathalie,
Reed Patrick M.,
Moss Richard
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
earth's future
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.641
H-Index - 39
ISSN - 2328-4277
DOI - 10.1029/2021ef002641
Subject(s) - typology , human systems engineering , operationalization , action (physics) , salient , collective action , complex system , computer science , sociology , epistemology , artificial intelligence , political science , politics , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , anthropology , law
The role of individual and collective human action is increasingly recognized as a prominent and arguably paramount determinant in shaping the behavior, trajectory, and vulnerability of multisector systems. This human influence operates at multiple scales: from short‐term (hourly to daily) to long‐term (annually to centennial) timescales, and from the local to the global, pushing systems toward either desirable or undesirable outcomes. However, the effort to represent human systems in multisector models has been fragmented across philosophical, methodological, and disciplinary lines. To cohere insights across diverse modeling approaches, we present a new typology for classifying how human actors are represented in the broad suite of coupled human‐natural system models that are applied in MultiSector Dynamics (MSD) research. The typology conceptualizes a “sector” as a system‐of‐systems that includes a diverse group of human actors, defined across individual to collective social levels, involved in governing, provisioning, and utilizing products, goods, or services toward some human end. We trace the salient features of modeled representations of human systems by organizing the typology around two key questions: (a) Who are the actors in MSD systems and what are their actions? (b) How and for what purpose are these actors and actions operationalized in a computational model? We use this typology to critically examine existing models and chart the frontier of human systems modeling for MSD research.