Search for models

Social and policy simulations, as well as serious games, are participatory processes through which diverse societal stakeholders collectively explore a complex reality and complex challenges. These participatory processes combine both social and natural science insights to foster experiential learning. They enable participants to make sense of the complexity associated with policy issues, and reflect on system inter-linkages and stakeholder plurality. These methods have become increasingly recognised for informing and guiding policy in complex settings, including sustainable development, climate change mitigation/adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

In the IIASA Strategic Initiative fairSTREAM, we create a toolkit of participatory methods that can be adapted to facilitate co-production of knowledge. Co-produced knowledge integrates diverse scientific and social discourses to create relevant and legitimate opportunities in the context of complex problems.  

Integrative qualitative system mapping (IQSM) enables the systematic and transparent integration of diverse qualitative data. It is particularly useful as a tool supporting mixed methods research addressing nexus issues in sustainable development.  

Role-play simulations are a transdisciplinary method for engaging diverse stakeholders beyond traditional policy- and decision-making communities in an informed and inclusive public debate around the governance of complex socio-environmental challenges. 

Scenarios as a decision-making tool help us to better understand the implications of a wide range of future possibilities considering existing development, strategies, and global interdependencies. Scenarios should be co-produced with their users, most often planner and decision makers.

The Equity and Justice (EQU) Research Group has developed a number of decision-support and process-oriented methods. These tools help stakeholders and policy-makers make sense of the complex governance landscape, while clarifying trade-offs and synergies associated with alternative policy options. 

The BinD model is a new generation dynamic disaster-macroeconomic modeling framework that captures supply and demand-side constraints on a developing economy facing disaster risk.

Platform to assess the heterogeneity of disaster risk.

DYNAMMICs is a macroeconomic growth modeling framework that quantifies the many co-benefits of DRR investment for multiple hazards.

Design Thinking (DT) is a participatory approach that focuses on understanding user-design problems with a variety of “products” and to create and test innovative problem solutions - these may include physical goods but also non-physical products such as services, policy instruments etc.