Abstract for: An exploration of the added value of Systems Analysis and System Dynamics for assessing the importance of innovative concepts

This paper presents the results of a limited exploration of the extent to which System Dynamics is perceived to provide added value to participatory sessions. Our main aim with this evaluation is to gain insights on whether the development of a software tool to support facilitated group sessions would be worthwhile to pursue and which would be its ideal characteristics. Although the scope of the evaluation was very limited, we have concluded that a flexible tool that allows for interactive expansion and adjustment of system diagrams can be very useful. Such a tool would be different from existing tools such as Powersim, which are more targeted at expert users and quantification. We have presented our first ideas for such a tool and will continue to evaluate participants perceptions while developing this tool in a way that it presents an added value to the joint investigation and evaluation of complex policy problems.