Nguyen, Le-Khanh-Ngan;
Kumar, Cecilia;
Jiang, Bowen;
Zimmermann, Nici;
(2023)
Implementation of Systems Thinking in Public Policy: A Systematic Review.
Systems
, 11
(2)
, Article 64. 10.3390/systems11020064.
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Abstract
The value of systems thinking in public policy is increasingly recognised. However, the extent of its use in decision- and policy-making within the government and civil service remains unclear. This review aims to investigate the state of systems thinking application in public policy. We conducted a systematic search to identify papers published up to June 2022 from various scientific databases. We also searched the grey literature. Publications eligible for inclusion were those that used or discussed systems thinking concepts and tools relating to policy-making. We included 73 papers falling into five categories: case studies, commentary pieces, user perspectives, reviews, and methodological frameworks. Our analysis highlighted the benefits and values of systems thinking that were observed and reflected by researchers and perceived by users in policy-making. It also revealed several challenges of systems thinking implementation in public policy and mapped out recommendations to address each of these challenges. Decision-makers in public policy are yet to utilise the full benefit of systems thinking. Advancing its implementation and sustaining its use in practice requires (i) exploring how to shift decision-makers' mental models and modify the organisational cultures under which decisions are made and (ii) developing methodological and practical guidance for application and evaluation specific to policy-making.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Implementation of Systems Thinking in Public Policy: A Systematic Review |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3390/systems11020064 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11020064 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/license s/by/4.0/). |
| Keywords: | systems thinking; system dynamics; policy-making; policy; public policy; public sector; civil servants |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > Bartlett School Env, Energy and Resources |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10164450 |
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