QUERY SD Impact on National Government Policies
Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2007 1:52 pm
Posted by ""Mitchel Kling, M.D."" <klingm@mail.nih.gov> I have been following this thread, and appreciate all of the interest and input that has been generated. I think Prof. Forrester's remarks, as expected, are entirely on target with regard to SD's relative lack of
penetration into government policymaking. Government, at best, can only
do what the society it serves ""wants"" it to do, which in turn is dependent on the voices of its constituents, however these are determined in a given political system. A Federal system like ours in the US is necessarily more complex and diverse than one might find at a local level, such as a town or city. I agree that it would be extremely useful to see books written to convey to the public how SD thinking and modeling can produce results that are counterintuitive, and to relate some of the many ""success stories""
resulting from implementation of the output of SD models. In beginning to read the work of Prof. Forrester and others on the impact of SD principles in business and urban planning, I was struck by the apparent lack of such books to date.
I hope that the comments by Prof. Forrester and others will stimulate more interest in producing such works. While I don't feel I have the expertise to undertake such a task at this time, I would be happy to contribute and/ or collaborate in any way I can. As an alumnus of MIT myself, albeit in life sciences (Course VII-B, 1976), as well as a practicing psychiatrist, I can appreciate the way in which mathematical modeling can bring rigor to framing and solving a problem in a way that can directly contrast with intuition, and I often use mathematical and systems analogies in my work with patients to help them better understand their tendencies to repeat and re- create maladaptive behavioral patterns. These kinds of analogs also help patients understand how the medications I prescribe can help their symptoms of anxiety and depression.
In my initial reply to Lou Macovsky's query, I was thinking more about the potential use of SD principles and modeling in government operations, rather than policy per se. Given the examples and prior experience with business and urban planning, it seems to me that there is something to be gained by asking whether government executives can apply SD methods to improve the way in which their agencies or offices function. I would be interested in the input of the SD community: is this issue separable from the larger issue of SD modeling of public policy? As I think about it, it occurs to me that there may not be much value, and in fact there may be great detriment, to a governmental system's more efficiently carrying out policies that are counterproductive to start with!
As a government employee, I feel I would be remiss if I didn't add the requisite postscript that ""the above views are my own, and do not reflect those of the NIMH, NIH, DHHS, or other branch of the Federal government""....
- Mitch
----------------------
Mitchel A. Kling, M.D.
Staff Clinician
Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program
Intramural Research Programs
National Institute of Mental Health
NIH 10/2D-46, MSC 1284
10 Center Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892-1284
Posted by ""Mitchel Kling, M.D."" <klingm@mail.nih.gov> posting date Thu, 4 Jan 2007 09:59:09 -0500 _______________________________________________
penetration into government policymaking. Government, at best, can only
do what the society it serves ""wants"" it to do, which in turn is dependent on the voices of its constituents, however these are determined in a given political system. A Federal system like ours in the US is necessarily more complex and diverse than one might find at a local level, such as a town or city. I agree that it would be extremely useful to see books written to convey to the public how SD thinking and modeling can produce results that are counterintuitive, and to relate some of the many ""success stories""
resulting from implementation of the output of SD models. In beginning to read the work of Prof. Forrester and others on the impact of SD principles in business and urban planning, I was struck by the apparent lack of such books to date.
I hope that the comments by Prof. Forrester and others will stimulate more interest in producing such works. While I don't feel I have the expertise to undertake such a task at this time, I would be happy to contribute and/ or collaborate in any way I can. As an alumnus of MIT myself, albeit in life sciences (Course VII-B, 1976), as well as a practicing psychiatrist, I can appreciate the way in which mathematical modeling can bring rigor to framing and solving a problem in a way that can directly contrast with intuition, and I often use mathematical and systems analogies in my work with patients to help them better understand their tendencies to repeat and re- create maladaptive behavioral patterns. These kinds of analogs also help patients understand how the medications I prescribe can help their symptoms of anxiety and depression.
In my initial reply to Lou Macovsky's query, I was thinking more about the potential use of SD principles and modeling in government operations, rather than policy per se. Given the examples and prior experience with business and urban planning, it seems to me that there is something to be gained by asking whether government executives can apply SD methods to improve the way in which their agencies or offices function. I would be interested in the input of the SD community: is this issue separable from the larger issue of SD modeling of public policy? As I think about it, it occurs to me that there may not be much value, and in fact there may be great detriment, to a governmental system's more efficiently carrying out policies that are counterproductive to start with!
As a government employee, I feel I would be remiss if I didn't add the requisite postscript that ""the above views are my own, and do not reflect those of the NIMH, NIH, DHHS, or other branch of the Federal government""....
- Mitch
----------------------
Mitchel A. Kling, M.D.
Staff Clinician
Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program
Intramural Research Programs
National Institute of Mental Health
NIH 10/2D-46, MSC 1284
10 Center Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892-1284
Posted by ""Mitchel Kling, M.D."" <klingm@mail.nih.gov> posting date Thu, 4 Jan 2007 09:59:09 -0500 _______________________________________________