Participatory, explorative, qualitative modeling: application of the iMODELER software to assess trade-offs among the SDGs

Abstract

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their generalized form need to be further reflected in order to identify synergies and trade-offs between their targets, and to apply them to concrete nations and regions. Explorative qualitative cause and effect modeling could serve as an approach for considering crucial factors to better understand the interrelations among the SDGs, eventually leading to more informed concrete measures that are able to cope with the SDG's inherent obstacles. This work describes a model that could serve as a template for concrete application. The generalized model already points to some potential trade-offs. Its first analysis cautiously raises doubts that some possible assumptions behind the SDGs might overlook systemic boundaries. For example, an undifferentiated increase of productivity contradicts a lessened environmental impact and need for resources in light of potential planetary boundaries. However, the model was developed as a starting point and requires modification for its application to a concrete region.

Variations in sustainable development goal interactions: Population, regional, and income disaggregation

“…In this context, several researchers address the holistic approach by using network analyses (Lusseau & Mancini, 2019; Pham‐Truffert, Metz, Fischer, Rueff, & Messerli, 2020; Putra, Pradhan, & Kropp, 2020). Further works combined qualitative and quantitative modeling to detect SDG interactions (Neumann, Anderson, & Denich, 2018; Scherer et al, 2018; Tremblay, Fortier, Boucher, Riffon, & Villeneuve, 2020). Pradhan et al (2017) provided the first quantification of synergies and trade‐offs within and across SDGs by applying a data‐driven longitudinal correlation analysis, accounting for all countries.…”

Identifying Biomass-Based Value Webs for Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systems Modeling Approach

“…The value webs of Ghana and Nigeria included maize, plantain, and cassava, and in Ethiopia, maize, enset, and bamboo. These crops, despite differences such as seasonal cycles, nutritional value, and cultural importance, can be considered the most important crops in terms of their availability for consumption and ability to generate income in the case study countries, considering both food and non-food uses [30,32,33,41].…”

“…The iMODELER software allows for the directional connection of factors to represent causality by using the basic question of "What (may) lead(s) to more or less of the factor now or in the future?" [41]. By starting with the target factors of food security, availability, and access, the workshop participants were asked by a moderator to consider what leads to more and what leads to less of these targets, while considering actors and flows of biomass, capital, and information.…”

Evolution of Tourism in Natural Destinations and Dynamic Sustainable Thresholds over Time

“…Previous research [29,[53][54][55][56][57] has shown the value of the system dynamic qualitative approach to highlight simple structures such as CLDs and has been demonstrated as an analysis tool in recent tourist studies as well [48,58,59]. This study utilises the CLD modelling approach and utilises the modelling tool Imodeler/Consideo [60] to construct the CLDs and perform the qualitative impact analysis. The results are further categorised into short-term, medium-term, long-term and beyond long-term.…”

“…The results are further categorised into short-term, medium-term, long-term and beyond long-term. In the CLD each link is categorised according to the four terms and given an indexed value as required by the method [60]. Each link is further given an impact value for short, medium and long-term which represents the impact value over the time horizon for the study.…”