Abstract for: Increasing Accessibility of Participatory System Dynamics Modeling Methods: Proposal for a New Rapid Protocol

It could be argued that the time and resource costs involved in employing participatory system dynamics modeling (PSDM) methods deny their access to the young researchers facing constraints on human resources, funding opportunities, client acceptance, expertise, and experience. Similarly, many communities facing socio-ecological problems also cannot make use of PSDM methods for lack of adequate financial and human resources. The paper presents a review of various types of PSDM methods such as Group Model Building, Mediated Modeling, and Community Driven System Dynamics. Drawing from the analysis of PSDM projects based on these methods, this paper proposes a ‘Rapid Participatory System Dynamics Modeling’ (RPSDM) Method, which can be implemented even with limited time, resources, and expertise. The method involves three rounds, namely, Individual, Intermediate, and Plenary. The paper presents the details of these rounds, in terms of their goals, objectives, preparation, procedure, and importance. The method proposed was implemented to develop a system dynamics model of the socio-ecological system in the Lake Balaton Watershed region in Hungary. The paper presents the observations, changes in the protocol, lessons learnt and some examples of model versions.