This paper examines the role of food producers, population, and the government on the present availability of food in Bangladesh. The study employs a system dynamics model of the population-food-production system for its analysis. This model incorporates mechanisms of production and consumption of food, and population growth. Government policies are considered exogenously. The analysis suggests that, due to the presence of a feedback relationship between food availability and population growth, any policy for improving food supply cannot be considered independently of time. In the long run, none of the policies tested alleviates the shortage, although in the short and intermediate runs, agricultural development and population control policies may improve food consumption per capita. The paper thus seriously questions the rationale of agricultural development policies aimed at increasing food production. However, since many food surplus countries support small populations which are also growing at slow rates, points of entry for policies that effectively alleviate the food shortage should exist. Thus, food policy models for the developing countries should aim at identifying such entry points into the system instead of attempting to increase the food supply.
Socio-economic planning primarily addresses the solution of problems relating to inherently indeterminate systems. The class of systems exhibits two sources of complexity which can be conceptualized as the complexity of the idea system and the complexity of the actual physical system. The idea system introduces a multiplicity of available theories, disciplinary differences between the stakeholder roles. The actual system is complex because there usually is not sufficient empirical data relevant to the particular problem since the situational context is unprecedented and non-repeating.It can be argued that problem solving in this context involves designing a new system structure to facilitate social learning, using a heuristic approach. Such a heuristic is different from the more conventional approaches to modeling and problem solving in that it bounds the search space and enhances further inquiry rather than just reflecting the real world conditions. In this paper the main characteristics of this approach are discussed and methodological implications for System Dynamics modeling are drawn.
System dynamics has been taught for over two years in two doctoral programs offered by Nova University, Fort Lauderdale , Florida. These programs are designed for working professionals in public and business administration and feature the inverse of the usual arrangement in which instruction is given on the university campus. For this reason, a traditional teaching approach cannot be used. This paper describes the Nova teaching environment, the format and teaching materials used for system dynamics, student characteristics and performance, and the present trends which affect instruction in system dynamics at Nova University.The introduction of the course in system dynamics has generated a positive response among the students and a limited amount of turbulence in the organization and administration of the program.
Planning tourist facilities is a highly complex task. It is necessary to evaluate carefully, with an interdisciplinary approach, all the variables of a technical, architectural, commercial, economical and financial nature that may be involved in a given project, without however ignoring the natural resources of the environment where facilities are to be set up. For a correct evaluation, these resources must be considered limited and seen as a wealth that can be exploited but not wasted, used but not destroyed. The approach outlined above is all the more important in countries like Italy, for instance, where there is a risk of over-exploiting the natural resources of the environment. In all but exceptional cases, an evaluation that does not take the above principles into account will result in a tourist enterprise that is ultimately a failure, as it degrades, often irreparably, the natural environment until it ceases to be an adequate source of revenue. This paper describes an integrated approach which provides, by means of simulation techniques, tools for a proper implementation of tourist facilities taking into due account all the variables and constraints involved, and likewise for the assessment by the Public Administration authorities of the wisdom and soundness of projects submitted to them for approval.
The purpose of this paper is to expand our thinking about the possible role system dynamics may play in the evolution of western thought and society. While such a theme may seem presumptuous when applied to a toll known to only a small fraction of people at present, it is my intention to give it some credibility by showing that western society may already be in the midst of evolving fundamental assumptions, beliefs and perceptions more consistent with a systemic world view. Pulled by this undercurrent, tools like system dynamics can focus the forces of change and bring them to bear more directly on pressing societal problems.
Visicalc, the original spreadsheet program for microcomputers is explored for suitability as a vehicle for system dynamics models. It is shown that Visicalc can support most of the model features that DYNAMO allows, but at the price of some inconvenience and care needed when setting up the model. However, with the widespread distribution of spreadsheet programs among decision makers, there maybe situations where they may be the vehicle of choice for implementing a dynamic model.
The paper discusses an application of SD to the modelling of ground force combat at about Corps level. The model is based on Lanchester’s equation incorporating concepts for the build-up of combat-ready forces and alternative strategies for their commitment in relation to beak-through criteria. These alternative strategies, together with the appropriate tactical rules for force employment and deployment, determine what may be regarded as policies for the use of forces. The model has been used to investigate these policies and the effect of delays in their implementation. Some illustrative results and conclusions are also discussed.Note: There is no paper available.
System Dynamics models are often faulted for their reluctance to employ formal measures of goodness-of-fit when assessing the historical behavior of models. As a result, the validity of system dynamics models is often questioned even when the model’s correspondence to historical behavior is quite good. This paper argues that the failure to present formal analysis of historical behavior creates an impression of sloppiness and unprofessionalism. After reviewing the concept of validity in simulation modeling, the paper proposes a simple set of summary statistics appropriate for system dynamics models (the root-mean-square error and Theil inequality statistics). The statistics allow the error due to individual behavior modes to be analyzed, do not require the use of formal parameter estimation procedures, and can be conveniently computed. A large model of the U.S. economy is used to illustrate the use of statistics.
Sensitivity testing, according to the glossary of terms in a Congressional manual on simulation modeling, is defined as the “running of a simulation model by successively changing the states of the system…and comparing the model outputs to determine the effects of these changes” (Congress 1975, p. 129). Sensitivity testing is generally viewed as an important part of the modeling process because it helps researchers narrow down those areas where more data gathering would be useful. In our introductory remarks, we argue that detailed sensitivity testing is particularly important in system dynamics modeling efforts, and we list several obstacles that make detailed sensitivity testing difficult. We introduce a set of testing procedures developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and verified by the Control Data Corporation that can help system dynamicists perform detailed sensitivity testing on a routine basis. In the body of the paper, we present an illustrative application of the testing procedures, and we list six specific uses of the procedures. We describe the availability of the testing package, and we conclude with a set of practical guidelines for investigators wishing to make use of this unique set of procedures.
Many firms use financial ratio analysis to monitor their control over the operating cycle and to serve as the basis for policy formation. Ratios are based on data produced through the accounting information system which is analyzed according to intuitively plausible concepts in order to make normative judgement about the financial health of the firm. A model is constructed to simulate the operating cycle of a business which generates financial ratios in a manner analogous to the accounting system. It is shown that noise and seasonality produce distortions in the ratio measures are spread throughout the system in a dynamic and complex fashion. Further experiments reveal that plausible control policies based upon financial ratios may make performance worse rather than better. System Dynamics appears to be a useful approach both to redesigning financial ratio measures and testing policies which could enhance out ability to manage such systems.