Systems Science For Complex Policy Making

Download Systems Science For Complex Policy Making full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Systems Science For Complex Policy Making ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

Systems Science for Complex Policy Making

Author : Kuntoro Mangkusubroto
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 4431552731
Total Pages : 113 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (315 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Systems Science for Complex Policy Making by : Kuntoro Mangkusubroto

Download or read book Systems Science for Complex Policy Making written by Kuntoro Mangkusubroto and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-05-27 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume applies a systems science perspective to complex policy making dynamics, using the case of Indonesia to illustrate the concepts. Indonesia is an archipelago with a high heterogeneity. Her people consist of 1,340 tribes who are scattered over 17,508 islands. Every region has different natural strengths and conditions. In the national development process all regions depend on one another other while optimizing their own conditions. In addition to this diversity, Indonesia also employs a democratic system of government with high regional autonomy. A democratic government puts a high value on individual freedom, but on the other hand, conflicts of interest also occur frequently. High regional autonomy also often causes problems in coordination among agencies and regional governments. This uniqueness creates a kind of complexity that is rarely found in other countries.These daily complexities requires intensive interaction, negotiation processes, and coordination. Such necessities should be considered in public policy making and in managing the implementation of national development programs. In this context, common theories and best practices generated on the basis of more simplified assumptions often fail. Systems science offer a way of thinking that can take into account and potentially overcome these complexities. However, efforts to apply systems science massively and continuously in real policy making by involving many stakeholders are still rarely carried out. The first part of the book discusses the gap between the existing public policy-making approach and needs in the real world. After that, the characteristics of the appropriate policy-making process in a complex environment and how this process can be carried are described. In later sections, important systems science concepts that can be applied in managing these complexities are discussed. Finally, the efforts to apply these concepts in real cases in Indonesia are described.

Policy Practice and Digital Science

Author : Marijn Janssen
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319127845
Total Pages : 435 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (191 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Policy Practice and Digital Science by : Marijn Janssen

Download or read book Policy Practice and Digital Science written by Marijn Janssen and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-06-03 with total page 435 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The explosive growth in data, computational power, and social media creates new opportunities for innovating the processes and solutions of Information and communications technology (ICT) based policy-making and research. To take advantage of these developments in the digital world, new approaches, concepts, instruments and methods are needed to navigate the societal and computational complexity. This requires extensive interdisciplinary knowledge of public administration, policy analyses, information systems, complex systems and computer science. This book provides the foundation for this new interdisciplinary field, in which various traditional disciplines are blending. Both policy makers, executors and those in charge of policy implementations acknowledge that ICT is becoming more important and is changing the policy-making process, resulting in a next generation policy-making based on ICT support. Web 2.0 and even Web 3.0 point to the specific applications of social networks, semantically enriched and linked data, whereas policy-making has also to do with the use of the vast amount of data, predictions and forecasts, and improving the outcomes of policy-making, which is confronted with an increasing complexity and uncertainty of the outcomes. The field of policy-making is changing and driven by developments like open data, computational methods for processing data, opining mining, simulation and visualization of rich data sets, all combined with public engagement, social media and participatory tools.

Non-Equilibrium Social Science and Policy

Author : Jeffrey Johnson
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319424246
Total Pages : 232 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (194 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Non-Equilibrium Social Science and Policy by : Jeffrey Johnson

Download or read book Non-Equilibrium Social Science and Policy written by Jeffrey Johnson and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-01-20 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The overall aim of this book, an outcome of the European FP7 FET Open NESS project, is to contribute to the ongoing effort to put the quantitative social sciences on a proper footing for the 21st century. A key focus is economics, and its implications on policy making, where the still dominant traditional approach increasingly struggles to capture the economic realities we observe in the world today - with vested interests getting too often in the way of real advances. Insights into behavioral economics and modern computing techniques have made possible both the integration of larger information sets and the exploration of disequilibrium behavior. The domain-based chapters of this work illustrate how economic theory is the only branch of social sciences which still holds to its old paradigm of an equilibrium science - an assumption that has already been relaxed in all related fields of research in the light of recent advances in complex and dynamical systems theory and related data mining. The other chapters give various takes on policy and decision making in this context. Written in nontechnical style throughout, with a mix of tutorial and essay-like contributions, this book will benefit all researchers, scientists, professionals and practitioners interested in learning about the 'thinking in complexity' to understand how socio-economic systems really work.

Principles of Systems Science

Author : George E. Mobus
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 1493919202
Total Pages : 782 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (939 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Principles of Systems Science by : George E. Mobus

Download or read book Principles of Systems Science written by George E. Mobus and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-11-10 with total page 782 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This pioneering text provides a comprehensive introduction to systems structure, function, and modeling as applied in all fields of science and engineering. Systems understanding is increasingly recognized as a key to a more holistic education and greater problem solving skills, and is also reflected in the trend toward interdisciplinary approaches to research on complex phenomena. While the concepts and components of systems science will continue to be distributed throughout the various disciplines, undergraduate degree programs in systems science are also being developed, including at the authors’ own institutions. However, the subject is approached, systems science as a basis for understanding the components and drivers of phenomena at all scales should be viewed with the same importance as a traditional liberal arts education. Principles of Systems Science contains many graphs, illustrations, side bars, examples, and problems to enhance understanding. From basic principles of organization, complexity, abstract representations, and behavior (dynamics) to deeper aspects such as the relations between information, knowledge, computation, and system control, to higher order aspects such as auto-organization, emergence and evolution, the book provides an integrated perspective on the comprehensive nature of systems. It ends with practical aspects such as systems analysis, computer modeling, and systems engineering that demonstrate how the knowledge of systems can be used to solve problems in the real world. Each chapter is broken into parts beginning with qualitative descriptions that stand alone for students who have taken intermediate algebra. The second part presents quantitative descriptions that are based on pre-calculus and advanced algebra, providing a more formal treatment for students who have the necessary mathematical background. Numerous examples of systems from every realm of life, including the physical and biological sciences, humanities, social sciences, engineering, pre-med and pre-law, are based on the fundamental systems concepts of boundaries, components as subsystems, processes as flows of materials, energy, and messages, work accomplished, functions performed, hierarchical structures, and more. Understanding these basics enables further understanding both of how systems endure and how they may become increasingly complex and exhibit new properties or characteristics. Serves as a textbook for teaching systems fundamentals in any discipline or for use in an introductory course in systems science degree programs Addresses a wide range of audiences with different levels of mathematical sophistication Includes open-ended questions in special boxes intended to stimulate integrated thinking and class discussion Describes numerous examples of systems in science and society Captures the trend towards interdisciplinary research and problem solving

Complex Systems Science in Biomedicine

Author : Thomas Deisboeck
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 0387335323
Total Pages : 857 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (873 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Complex Systems Science in Biomedicine by : Thomas Deisboeck

Download or read book Complex Systems Science in Biomedicine written by Thomas Deisboeck and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-06-13 with total page 857 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Complex Systems Science in Biomedicine Thomas S. Deisboeck and J. Yasha Kresh Complex Systems Science in Biomedicine covers the emerging field of systems science involving the application of physics, mathematics, engineering and computational methods and techniques to the study of biomedicine including nonlinear dynamics at the molecular, cellular, multi-cellular tissue, and organismic level. With all chapters helmed by leading scientists in the field, Complex Systems Science in Biomedicine's goal is to offer its audience a timely compendium of the ongoing research directed to the understanding of biological processes as whole systems instead of as isolated component parts. In Parts I & II, Complex Systems Science in Biomedicine provides a general systems thinking perspective and presents some of the fundamental theoretical underpinnings of this rapidly emerging field. Part III then follows with a multi-scaled approach, spanning from the molecular to macroscopic level, exemplified by studying such diverse areas as molecular networks and developmental processes, the immune and nervous systems, the heart, cancer and multi-organ failure. The volume concludes with Part IV that addresses methods and techniques driven in design and development by this new understanding of biomedical science. Key Topics Include: • Historic Perspectives of General Systems Thinking • Fundamental Methods and Techniques for Studying Complex Dynamical Systems • Applications from Molecular Networks to Disease Processes • Enabling Technologies for Exploration of Systems in the Life Sciences Complex Systems Science in Biomedicine is essential reading for experimental, theoretical, and interdisciplinary scientists working in the biomedical research field interested in a comprehensive overview of this rapidly emerging field. About the Editors: Thomas S. Deisboeck is currently Assistant Professor of Radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. An expert in interdisciplinary cancer modeling, Dr. Deisboeck is Director of the Complex Biosystems Modeling Laboratory which is part of the Harvard-MIT Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging. J. Yasha Kresh is currently Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Research Director, Professor of Medicine and Director of Cardiovascular Biophysics at the Drexel University College of Medicine. An expert in dynamical systems, he holds appointments in the School of Biomedical Engineering and Health Systems, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Molecular Pathobiology Program. Prof. Kresh is Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, Biomedical Engineering Society, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

An Introduction to Complex Systems

Author : Joe Tranquillo
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3030025896
Total Pages : 405 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (3 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis An Introduction to Complex Systems by : Joe Tranquillo

Download or read book An Introduction to Complex Systems written by Joe Tranquillo and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-02-13 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the interdisciplinary field of complex systems theory. By the end of the book, readers will be able to understand terminology that is used in complex systems and how they are related to one another; see the patterns of complex systems in practical examples; map current topics, in a variety of fields, to complexity theory; and be able to read more advanced literature in the field. The book begins with basic systems concepts and moves on to how these simple rules can lead to complex behavior. The author then introduces non-linear systems, followed by pattern formation, and networks and information flow in systems. Later chapters cover the thermodynamics of complex systems, dynamical patterns that arise in networks, and how game theory can serve as a framework for decision making. The text is interspersed with both philosophical and quantitative arguments, and each chapter ends with questions and prompts that help readers make more connections. “The text provides a useful overview of complex systems, with enough detail to allow a reader unfamiliar with the topic to understand the basics. The book stands out for its comprehensiveness and approachability. It will be particularly useful as a text for introductory physics courses. Tranquillo’s strength is in delivering a vast amount of information in a succinct manner.... A reader can find information quickly and efficiently—that is, in my opinion, the book’s greatest value.” (Stefani Crabtree, Physics Today)

The Science of Health Disparities Research

Author : Irene Dankwa-Mullan
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1119374812
Total Pages : 548 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (193 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Science of Health Disparities Research by : Irene Dankwa-Mullan

Download or read book The Science of Health Disparities Research written by Irene Dankwa-Mullan and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2021-03-16 with total page 548 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Integrates the various disciplines of the science of health disparities in one comprehensive volume The Science of Health Disparities Research is an indispensable source of up-to-date information on clinical and translational health disparities science. Building upon the advances in health disparities research over the past decade, this authoritative volume informs policies and practices addressing the diseases, disorders, and gaps in health outcomes that are more prevalent in minority populations and socially disadvantaged communities. Contributions by recognized scholars and leaders in the field—featuring contemporary research, conceptual models, and a broad range of scientific perspectives—provide an interdisciplinary approach to reducing inequalities in population health, encouraging community engagement in the research process, and promoting social justice. In-depth chapters help readers better understand the specifics of minority health and health disparities while demonstrating the importance of advancing theory, refining measurement, improving investigative methods, and diversifying scientific research. In 26 chapters, the book examines topics including the etiology of health disparities research, the determinants of population health, research ethics, and research in African American, Asians, Latino, American Indian, and other vulnerable populations. Providing a unified framework on the principles and applications of the science of health disparities research, this important volume: Defines the field of health disparities science and suggests new directions in scholarship and research Explains basic definitions, principles, and concepts for identifying, understanding and addressing health disparities Provides guidance on both conducting health disparities research and translating the results Examines how social, historical and contemporary injustices may influence the health of racial and ethnic minorities Illustrates the increasing national and global importance of addressing health disparities Discusses population health training, capacity-building, and the transdisciplinary tools needed to advance health equity A significant contribution to the field, The Science of Health Disparities Research is an essential resource for students and basic and clinical researchers in genetics, population genetics, and public health, health care policymakers, and epidemiologists, medical students, and clinicians, particularly those working with minority, vulnerable, or underserved populations.

Complex Systems in the Social and Behavioral Sciences

Author : L. Douglas Kiel
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780472074884
Total Pages : 448 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (748 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Complex Systems in the Social and Behavioral Sciences by : L. Douglas Kiel

Download or read book Complex Systems in the Social and Behavioral Sciences written by L. Douglas Kiel and published by . This book was released on 2021-06-22 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Complexity systems are at the heart of behavior

Modeling Complex Systems

Author : Nino Boccara
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 1441965629
Total Pages : 490 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (419 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Modeling Complex Systems by : Nino Boccara

Download or read book Modeling Complex Systems written by Nino Boccara and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-09-09 with total page 490 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book illustrates how models of complex systems are built up and provides indispensable mathematical tools for studying their dynamics. This second edition includes more recent research results and many new and improved worked out examples and exercises.

Complexity, Institutions and Public Policy

Author : Graham Room
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0857932640
Total Pages : 393 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (579 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Complexity, Institutions and Public Policy by : Graham Room

Download or read book Complexity, Institutions and Public Policy written by Graham Room and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2011 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I think this is a very important book. Very few people in the social sciences write books on this topic and really do justice to complexity theory. Professor Room gives a very detailed, accurate and accessible review of complexity theory as it applies to social policy. His link with institutional theory is very appropriate and his discussion on the need for regulation (a link with complexity theory that many people would never reach) is really important and well grounded. It would be of interest to academics who really want to understand the implications of complexity theory for policy making in complex and fast-changing situations and to those undertaking advanced courses in politics, economics and sociology. - Jean Boulton, University of Cranfield, UK Graham Room argues that conventional approaches to the conceptualisation and measurement of social and economic change are unsatisfactory. As a result, researchers are ill-equipped to offer policy advice. This book offers a new analytical approach, combining complexity science and institutionalism. It also provides tools for policy makers in turbulent times. Part 1 is concerned with the conceptualisation of socio-economic change. It integrates complexity science and institutionalism into a coherent ontology of social and policy dynamics. Part 2 is concerned with models and measurement. It combines some of the principal approaches developed in complexity analysis with models and methods drawn from mainstream social and political science. Part 3 offers empirical applications to public policy: the dynamics of social exclusion; the social dimension of knowledge economies; the current financial and economic crisis. These are supplemented by a toolkit for the practice of agile policy making.

Complexity and Public Policy

Author : Robert Geyer
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1135153485
Total Pages : 230 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (351 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Complexity and Public Policy by : Robert Geyer

Download or read book Complexity and Public Policy written by Robert Geyer and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-09-10 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a clear, concise and readable introduction to complexity thinking, its application to the social sciences and public policy, and the relevance of some of its various tools to those fields of politics, health, the international realm, development, planning and terrorism. The authors argue that the foundation for many of the current crises in these areas can be traced to the attempt by social scientists and policy-makers to treat these systems and processes as fundamentally orderly, predictable and controllable. By providing an overview of complex systems, a practical introduction to basic concepts and tools of these systems, and examples for understanding and managing them in real life policy situations they provide an exciting new perspective for rethinking our basic approaches to the social sciences and for understanding and managing the increasingly interdependent world of public policy. The book is vital reading for students and scholars of the social sciences and public policy, and also policymakers and the policy actor audience.

Introduction to the Theory of Complex Systems

Author : Stefan Thurner
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780191861062
Total Pages : 431 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (61 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Introduction to the Theory of Complex Systems by : Stefan Thurner

Download or read book Introduction to the Theory of Complex Systems written by Stefan Thurner and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 431 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Complex systems are everywhere. Ecosystems, financial markets, traffic, the economy, the internet and social media are complex systems. This textbook summarizes our understanding of complex systems and the methodological progress made over the past 20 years in a clear, structured, and comprehensive way.

Science for Policy Handbook

Author : Vladimir Sucha
Publisher : Elsevier
ISBN 13 : 0128225963
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (282 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Science for Policy Handbook by : Vladimir Sucha

Download or read book Science for Policy Handbook written by Vladimir Sucha and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2020-07-29 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Science for Policy Handbook provides advice on how to bring science to the attention of policymakers. This resource is dedicated to researchers and research organizations aiming to achieve policy impacts. The book includes lessons learned along the way, advice on new skills, practices for individual researchers, elements necessary for institutional change, and knowledge areas and processes in which to invest. It puts co-creation at the centre of Science for Policy 2.0, a more integrated model of knowledge-policy relationship. Covers the vital area of science for policymaking Includes contributions from leading practitioners from the Joint Research Centre/European Commission Provides key skills based on the science-policy interface needed for effective evidence-informed policymaking Presents processes of knowledge production relevant for a more holistic science-policy relationship, along with the types of knowledge that are useful in policymaking

Systems Science: Theory, Analysis, Modeling, and Design

Author : George E. Mobus
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030934829
Total Pages : 821 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (39 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Systems Science: Theory, Analysis, Modeling, and Design by : George E. Mobus

Download or read book Systems Science: Theory, Analysis, Modeling, and Design written by George E. Mobus and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-03-09 with total page 821 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes a comprehensive approach to applying systems science formally to the deep analysis of a wide variety of complex systems. Detailed ‘how-to’ examples of the three phases (analysis-modeling-design) of systems science are applied to systems of various types (machines, organic (e.g. ecosystem), and supra-organic (e.g. business organizations and government). The complexity of the global system has reached proportions that seriously challenge our abilities to understand the consequences of our use of technology, modification of natural ecosystems, or even how to govern ourselves. For this reason, complex mathematics is eschewed when simpler structures will suffice, allowing the widest possible audience to apply and benefit from the available tools and concepts of systems science in their own work. The book shows, in detail, how to functionally and structurally deconstruct complex systems using a fundamental language of systems. It shows how to capture the discovered details in a structured knowledge base from which abstract models can be derived for simulation. The knowledge base is also shown to be a basis for generating system design specifications for human-built artifacts, or policy recommendations/policy mechanisms for socio-economic-ecological systems management. The book builds on principles and methods found in the authors’ textbook Principles of Systems Science (co-authored with Michael Kalton), but without prerequisites. It will appeal to a broad audience that deals with complex systems every day, from design engineers to economic and ecological systems managers and policymakers.

Handbook on Complexity and Public Policy

Author : Robert Geyer
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1782549528
Total Pages : 496 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (825 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Handbook on Complexity and Public Policy by : Robert Geyer

Download or read book Handbook on Complexity and Public Policy written by Robert Geyer and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2015-05-29 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Over recent years Complexity Science has revealed to us new limits to our possible knowledge and control in social, cultural and economic systems. Instead of supposing that past statistics and patterns will give us predictable outcomes for possible actions, we now know the world is, and will always be, creative and surprising. Continuous structural evolution within such systems may change the mechanisms, descriptors, problems and opportunities, often negating policy aims. We therefore need to redevelop our thinking about interventions, policies and policy making, moving perhaps to a humbler, more 'learning' approach. In this Handbook, leading thinkers in multiple domains set out these new ideas and allow us to understand how these new ideas are changing policymaking and policies in this new era.' - Peter M Allen, Cranfield University, UK

Philosophy of Complex Systems

Author :
Publisher : Elsevier
ISBN 13 : 9780080931227
Total Pages : 952 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (312 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Philosophy of Complex Systems by :

Download or read book Philosophy of Complex Systems written by and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2011-05-23 with total page 952 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The domain of nonlinear dynamical systems and its mathematical underpinnings has been developing exponentially for a century, the last 35 years seeing an outpouring of new ideas and applications and a concomitant confluence with ideas of complex systems and their applications from irreversible thermodynamics. A few examples are in meteorology, ecological dynamics, and social and economic dynamics. These new ideas have profound implications for our understanding and practice in domains involving complexity, predictability and determinism, equilibrium, control, planning, individuality, responsibility and so on. Our intention is to draw together in this volume, we believe for the first time, a comprehensive picture of the manifold philosophically interesting impacts of recent developments in understanding nonlinear systems and the unique aspects of their complexity. The book will focus specifically on the philosophical concepts, principles, judgments and problems distinctly raised by work in the domain of complex nonlinear dynamical systems, especially in recent years. -Comprehensive coverage of all main theories in the philosophy of Complex Systems -Clearly written expositions of fundamental ideas and concepts -Definitive discussions by leading researchers in the field -Summaries of leading-edge research in related fields are also included

Systems Thinking For Social Change

Author : David Peter Stroh
Publisher : Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1603585818
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (35 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Systems Thinking For Social Change by : David Peter Stroh

Download or read book Systems Thinking For Social Change written by David Peter Stroh and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2015-09-24 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Donors, leaders of nonprofits, and public policy makers usually have the best of intentions to serve society and improve social conditions. But often their solutions fall far short of what they want to accomplish and what is truly needed. Moreover, the answers they propose and fund often produce the opposite of what they want over time. We end up with temporary shelters that increase homelessness, drug busts that increase drug-related crime, or food aid that increases starvation. How do these unintended consequences come about and how can we avoid them? By applying conventional thinking to complex social problems, we often perpetuate the very problems we try so hard to solve, but it is possible to think differently, and get different results. Systems Thinking for Social Change enables readers to contribute more effectively to society by helping them understand what systems thinking is and why it is so important in their work. It also gives concrete guidance on how to incorporate systems thinking in problem solving, decision making, and strategic planning without becoming a technical expert. Systems thinking leader David Stroh walks readers through techniques he has used to help people improve their efforts to end homelessness, improve public health, strengthen education, design a system for early childhood development, protect child welfare, develop rural economies, facilitate the reentry of formerly incarcerated people into society, resolve identity-based conflicts, and more. The result is a highly readable, effective guide to understanding systems and using that knowledge to get the results you want.