System Dynamics-based Development Planning Course Held in Norway

The course equips participants with the knowledge and skills required to effectively analyze national development challenges and determine the best approaches to mitigate them using scenario-planning tools.  It also serves as first training for participants whose countries and/or agencies want to use Threshold 21 for comprehensive development planning.

The course was divided into three modules. The first module provided a general introduction to System Dynamics theory, its utility for development planning, and a basic introduction to the Vensim modeling software. The second module used the case study of a hypothetical country to guide participants through the process of building an integrated dynamic model. In the third module, participants were guided through analysis of country-specific development issues, and learned advanced modeling and analysis techniques such as dynamic optimization and sensitivity analysis.