The International System Dynamics Conference is an annual event where people from all over the world interested in the practice of System Dynamics and systems thinking gather. Now in its 40th year, the Conference appeals to audiences across industry and academia. These conferences introduce newcomers to the field, keep practitioners aware of current developments, and provide unparalleled networking opportunities. Participants come from business, universities, K-12 education, not-for-profits, government, consulting, the healthcare sector, and beyond.

Conference: July, 18-22, 2022

Researchers at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management in partnership with the German Chapter of the System Dynamics Society, universities and businesses established in Germany, are enthused to bringing the 40th International Conference of The System Dynamics Society to Frankfurt.

Frankfurt, located in the middle of Germany, with the biggest German airport nearby, constitutes an attractive option for this annual meeting. Holding the International System Dynamics Conference in this region presents an important opportunity for reinforcing and making grow, both in quality and impact, the use of System Dynamics at academic institutions and businesses in Germany. System Dynamics modeling in Germany is maturing but looking back at a long tradition. Already at the end of the 1960s, system dynamics started being used at Mannheim University, initiated by Gert v. Kortzfleisch. Peter Milling and Erich Zahn, two doctoral students of this university, joined the “limits to growth” group at MIT in the early 1970s. In 1989, the so far only International System Dynamics Conference in Germany was held in Stuttgart. Nowadays, there is an active German System Dynamics chapter (with more than 100 members) holding an annual conference. System Dynamics is taught at more than a dozen German universities, for instance, Frankfurt School and the University of Stuttgart.

Frankfurt is the most international city in Germany, the largest financial center in the European Union, the historical city of coronations, the city of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and the cradle of the German democracy… In brief, the smallest metropolis in the world, in which there is a lot to discover.

CALL FOR PAPERS, WORKSHOPS & CONTRIBUTIONS

Transport & Mobility (NEW)

Covers all aspects of transportation systems and mobility, including transport and urban planning policies; new services, technologies or business models; decarbonization and sustainable mobility; transport and health; and freight and logistics.

Focus Areas: Decarbonization and Sustainability; Freight and Logistics; Infrastructure; Public Transit

Chairs: Gillian Harrison, Jeroen Struben, and Astrid Guehnemann

Economics

Features papers improving understanding of economic dynamics including macroeconomics, microeconomics, trade, business regulation, economic development, economic policy, insurance, and risk management.

Focus Areas: Business and Financial Organization; Economic Growth and Development; Equity and Income Distribution; International Trade and Finance; Macroeconomics; Microeconomics

Chairs:  Oleg Pavlov and David Wheat

Health

Applies System Dynamics to issues related to health and health care including health policy, health services research, population health, and physiology.

Focus Areas: COVID-19; Epidemiology; Health Disparities; Physiology; Population Health; Treatment

Chairs:  John Ansah, David Lounsbury and Niyousha Hosseinichimeh

Methodology

Welcomes contributions to System Dynamics modeling and simulation including quantitative and qualitative aspects of model development, model analysis, validation, graphical presentation formats, computational techniques, and integration of System Dynamics with other approaches such as Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Analytics, among others.

Focus Areas: Artificial Intelligence; Graphical Presentation Formats; Hybrid Modeling Approaches; Model Analysis; Model Development; Qualitative Methods; Validation

Chairs: Yutaka Takahashi and Billy Shoenberg

Public Policy

Covers issues including governance, social welfare, equity, justice, political science, urban dynamics, and infrastructure.

Focus Areas: COVID-19; Equity and Justice; Governance; Infrastructure; Political Science; Social Welfare; Urban Dynamics

Chairs: Rod MacDonald and Karim Chichakly

Stakeholder Engagement

Emphasizes engaging and influencing stakeholders through participatory activities such as group model building, facilitation, facilitated modeling, games and management flight simulators with emphasis on assessing the impact of the engagement.

Focus Areas: Community Outreach; Games and Flight Simulators; Group Model Building; Participatory Activities

Chairs: Etiënne Rouwette and Susan Howick

2021 Conference Highlights