Systemic Thinking for Policy Making
The Potential of Systems Analysis for Addressing Global Policy Challenges in the 21st
Century
We live in a period of profound systemic change, and as in similar periods in the
past, there is bound to be considerable instability and uncertainty before the new
society and economy take shape. We have to identify actions that will shape change
for the better, and help to build resilience to the inevitable shocks inherent in,
and generated by, the complex system of systems constituted by the economy, society
and the environment. These challenges require updating the way policies are devised
and implemented, and developing more realistic tools and techniques to design those
policies on the basis of appropriate data. In Systemic Thinking for Policy Making
world experts from the OECD and International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
(IIASA) pool their expertise and experience to propose new approaches to analysing
the interconnected trends and issues shaping today’s and tomorrow’s world. The authors
argue that to tackle planetary emergencies linked to the environment, the economy
and socio-political systems, we have to understand their systemic properties, such
as tipping points, interconnectedness and resilience. They give the reader a precise
introduction to the tools and techniques needed to do so, and offer hope that we can
overcome the challenges the world is facing.
Published on February 27, 2020
In series:New Approaches to Economic Challengesview more titles