Krystyna Anne Stave

Simulation-Based Learning Environments to Teach Complexity: The Missing Link in Teaching Sustainable Public Management

While public-sector management problems are steeped in positivistic and socially constructed complexity, public management education in the management of complexity lags behind that of business schools, particularly in the application of simulation-based learning. This paper describes a Simulation-Based Learning Environment for public management education that includes a coupled case study and System Dynamics simulation surrounding flood protection, a domain where stewardship decisions regarding public infrastructure and investment have direct and indirect effects on businesses and the public. The Pointe Claire case and CoastalProtectSIM simulation provide a platform for policy experimentation under conditions of exogenous uncertainty (weather and climate change) as well as endogenous effects generated by structure. We discuss the model in some detail, and present teaching materials developed to date to support the use of our work in public administration curricula. Our experience with this case demonstrates the potential of this approach to motivate sustainable learning about complexity in public management settings and enhance learners’ competency to deal with complex dynamic problems.

Improving Learners' Understanding of Environmental Accumulations through Simulation

Background. Poor public understanding of accumulation principles obstructs public engagement in environmental decision-making. Simulation-based learning environments (SBLEs) show promise for improving understanding. Purpose. This study tested the hypothesis that use of stand-alone, self-contained, online SBLEs can improve user understanding of and ability to apply basic principles of accumulation. Method. We used pretest/posttest measures to examine (a) whether user understanding of accumulations principles increased after exposure to a set of two SBLEs in an undergraduate Environmental Science course (n =126), and (b) how the extent of simulation use affected depth of user understanding. Results. Understanding improved significantly after simulation use. Further, extent of simulation use affected performance although it is not a simple linear relationship. Those who ran the simulation a moderate amount of times (total of 14-24 runs) scored better than the low-range group (0-13 runs, p < .05) and better than the high-range users (25+ runs, p < .10). These results hold when controlled for prior systems understanding, graphing ability, motivation, and science background. Conclusion. The results support the value of simulations for building operational understanding of accumulations and suggest design considerations that may further increase the effectiveness of such SBLEs.

Participatory System Dynamics Mapping for Collaboration and Socioecological Integration in the Lake Tana Region

This chapter presents a system map of causal links and feedback loops among social and ecological components in the Lake Tana region. The map was collaboratively developed by twenty-seven regional researchers, managers, and development experts who participated in a one-day systems mapping workshop entitled “Strengthening Links between Policy and Research for Sustainable Development in the Lake Tana Basin ” held in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia in November 2014. The chapter describes the map development process, content of the map, participant perspectives on the value of the process and the workshop outcomes, and steps for building on the workshop.

Social and Ecological System Dynamics

The Lake Tana Basin is the headwater catchment of the Upper Blue Nile River. This highly dynamic region is experiencing significant population, economic, ecosystem, environment and social changes, raising concerns about sustainable development at regional, national and international levels. About 85% of the approximately three million people that live in the basin currently work in the agricultural sector, but factors such as population growth, environmental degradation, and rising education levels are driving migration from rural to urban areas and putting pressure on urban infrastructure and economy. The strong links between the region’s human and environmental conditions mean that developing the region sustainably requires an understanding of its social and ecological characteristics as well as a framework for examining how the social system and the ecological system interact. This chapter describes key policy challenges in the region that motivated this book and lays out the structure of the sections and chapters that follow.

System Dynamics as a Framework for Understanding Human—Environment Dynamics

Understanding the dynamics of human—environment systems, and developing policies that promote their sustainability, requires a holistic, integrated approach. Although many frameworks have been developed that include social and environmental components, managing social and ecological systems as integrated systems has been difficult in practice. The analytical and practical challenge is to identify the interactions that underlie resource management problems, find leverage points where management or policy changes can effectively move the system in a more sustainable direction, and build cooperation among system stakeholders to implement change. This chapter gives an overview of existing frameworks for examining social—ecological interactions, then presents system dynamics as both a theoretical perspective and a practical method for integrating across disciplines. The system dynamics approach makes feedback relationships in the system explicit, and provides a platform to foster collaboration and coordination among stakeholders in the system. This chapter offers a systems framework for considering the connections among the individual chapters to follow. This approach was used for a collaborative mapping workshop on sustainability issues in the Lake Tana basin held in November 2014 as a first step toward integrating disparate research disciplines and stakeholders. Chapter 34 describes the workshop.

Research Needs in the Lake Tana Basin Social-Ecological System

This chapter synthesizes the research needs presented in the book and proposes actions for addressing them. It highlights the socioeconomic and biophysical characteristics, development, production and consumption patterns, challenges and threats and management approaches that were discussed in the preceding chapters and discusses the priorities for future Lake Tana basin research that were raised. The analysis shows that the basin has many unique features, and great potential for sustainable development, especially in water resources. The lake and basin provide multiple benefits to the local community, the region and downstream riparian countries. Many of the problematic trends in the region result from an imbalance between resource production and consumption patterns, and limited or poorly implemented conservation measures. The many and complex challenges and threats in the basin are caused, in part, by the lack of an integrated basin plan and poor collaborative mechanisms to share data and find sustainable solutions. The available data and information about the basin is limited. It is not well-organized, accessible, or used well for the basin’s resource management. The identification of major research gaps and priorities for future research highlighted in this book, as well as the systems framework for integration and collaboration, provide a basis for further research and policy decisions to promote sustainability in the region.

Introduction: Regional Challenges and Policy Questions

The Lake Tana Basin is the headwater catchment of the Upper Blue Nile River. This highly dynamic region is experiencing significant population, economic, ecosystem, environment and social changes, raising concerns about sustainable development at regional, national and international levels. About 85% of the approximately three million people that live in the basin currently work in the agricultural sector, but factors such as population growth, environmental degradation, and rising education levels are driving migration from rural to urban areas and putting pressure on urban infrastructure and economy. The strong links between the region’s human and environmental conditions mean that developing the region sustainably requires an understanding of its social and ecological characteristics as well as a framework for examining how the social system and the ecological system interact. This chapter describes key policy challenges in the region that motivated this book and lays out the structure of the sections and chapters that follow.