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The past is prologue: reflections on forty‐plus years of system dynamics modeling practice
Author(s) -
Richardson John
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
system dynamics review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.491
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1099-1727
pISSN - 0883-7066
DOI - 10.1002/sdr.1503
Subject(s) - system dynamics , dynamics (music) , frontier , resilience (materials science) , work (physics) , computer science , psychological resilience , management science , china , systems science , systems engineering , engineering ethics , political science , engineering , sociology , psychology , artificial intelligence , mechanical engineering , pedagogy , physics , law , psychotherapist , thermodynamics
What lessons might a body of work recognized for “Lifetime Achievements” offer to a new generation of system dynamics modelers? In what areas are future contributions of system dynamics most needed and likely to have the greatest impact? My life goals have been the design of effective public policy systems and the remediation of ineffective ones. Searching for a practice – an “engineering” or “curative” discipline that would facilitate the attainment of those goals led me to system dynamics modeling. A chronicling of three projects focusing, respectively, on global modeling, conflict–development linkages, and Singapore's improbable resilience, illustrate system dynamics modeling principles, applications, and lessons learned. China represents an important new frontier for system dynamics modeling and modelers to contribute to the survival and well‐being of the human species. Copyright © 2013 System Dynamics Society