Abstract for: A Systems Dynamics Approach to Reaching the Sustainable Development Goals

A System Dynamics model is being built which connects the UN SDGs to show how the progress of one goal might influence the progress of other goals. This modeling work is unique in that it is data-driven, and is intended to be validated and calibrated against the best available SDG indicator data. This model may be useful to help determine how likely we are to reach our goals if progress continues at the current pace and where it would be best to put more effort to reach our goals most efficiently. As more accurate and up-to-date data on SDG indicators become available, we intend to continually iterate on the model validation process initiated in this work. The insights gained from the model may support informed policy-making processes. This model structure may also be expanded to consider the interactions among individual targets within the SDGs for even more granular analysis.