Premium
Representing causal knowledge in environmental policy interventions: Advantages and opportunities for qualitative influence diagram applications
Author(s) -
Carriger John F,
Dyson Brian E,
Benson William H
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
integrated environmental assessment and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1551-3793
pISSN - 1551-3777
DOI - 10.1002/ieam.2027
Subject(s) - viewpoints , psychological intervention , management science , structuring , computer science , public policy , government (linguistics) , domain (mathematical analysis) , qualitative research , inference , transparency (behavior) , risk analysis (engineering) , knowledge management , engineering , political science , business , sociology , psychology , computer security , art , mathematical analysis , linguistics , philosophy , social science , mathematics , artificial intelligence , psychiatry , law , visual arts
ABSTRACT This article develops and explores a methodology for using qualitative influence diagrams in environmental policy and management to support decision‐making efforts that minimize risk and increase resiliency. Influence diagrams are representations of the conditional aspects of a problem domain. Their graphical properties are useful for structuring causal knowledge relevant to policy interventions and can be used to enhance inference and inclusivity of multiple viewpoints. Qualitative components of influence diagrams are beneficial tools for identifying and examining the interactions among the critical variables in complex policy development and implementation. Policy interventions on social–environmental systems can be intuitively diagrammed for representing knowledge of critical relationships among economic, environmental, and social attributes. Examples relevant to coastal resiliency issues in the US Gulf Coast region are developed to illustrate model structures for developing qualitative influence diagrams useful for clarifying important policy intervention issues and enhancing transparency in decision making. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:381–394. Published 2018. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.