Tools to think with? Towards understanding the use of computer-based support tools in policy relevant research

McIntosh, Brian S.; Seaton, Roger; Jeffrey, Paul

doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2005.12.015

Cited by 79 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…In the context of this paper, such models sit within the third category defined by Nilsson et al (2008). McIntosh et al (2007) assert that many support-tool technologies contain models. More specifically, many decision support systems, planning support systems, and management information systems utilize models as part of a more extensive software package.…”

Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several advantages are ascribed to using models to inform policy (McIntosh et al 2007). For instance, van Daalen et al (2002) suggest that models can serve as eye-openers by placing issues on the political agenda, challenge existing world views, aid consensus forming and support the management of a particular target system.…”

Section: Research Gaps and Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, research on the broader subject of model use is argued to be in its infancy (McIntosh et al 2007) and some contend that this research field has failed to progress over the last few decades (Syme et al 2011). McIntosh et al (2007) claim that the research agenda has tended to focus on the technical aspects of models, but has largely ignored other criteria that influence their use. Previous research has suggested a variety of such criteria that can drive or constrain model acceptance, for instance, userfriendliness (Fildes et al 2006;van Delden et al 2011), interpretability (Baesens et al 2009;van Delden et al 2011), model performance (Baesens et al 2009;van Delden et al 2011), the user interface van Delden et al 2011) and the model development process (McIntosh et al 2005;Stalpers et al 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

How to build models for government: criteria driving model acceptance in policymaking

et al. 2016

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Models are used to inform policymaking and underpin large amounts of government expenditure. Several authors have observed a discrepancy between the actual and potential use of models in government. While there have been several studies investigating model acceptance in government, it remains unclear under what conditions models are accepted. In this paper, we address the question ''What criteria affect model acceptance in policymaking?'', the answer to which will contribute to the wider understanding of model use in government. We employ a thematic coding approach to identify the acceptance criteria for the eight models in our sample. Subsequently, we compare our findings with existing literature and use qualitative comparative analysis to explore what configurations of the criteria are observed in instances of model acceptance. We conclude that model acceptance is affected by a combination of the model's characteristics, the supporting infrastructure and organizational factors.

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Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Gaps and Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How to build models for government: criteria driving model acceptance in policymaking

et al. 2016

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“…Many authors (Sterk et al, 2009;McIntosh et al, 2007;Jakeman et al, 2006;Oxley et al, 2004) claim that the potential of model-based methods is well-established for handling natural resources management and policy problems. The role of models in participatory assessment has been analyzed in-depth (Sterk et al, 2009;Horlitz, 2007;Oxley et al, 2004).…”

Section: The Potential Of Water Management Modellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical multi-level governance issues of integrated modelling: An example of low-water management in the Adour-Garonne basin (France)

Mazzéga

Thérond

Debril

et al. 2014

Journal of Hydrology

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OATAO is an open access repository that collects the work of Toulouse researchers and makes it freely available over the web where possible. This is an author-deposited version published in : http://oatao.univ-toulouse.fr/ Eprints ID : 14792 This paper presents the experience gained related to the development of an integrated simulation model of water policy. Within this context, we analyze particular difficulties raised by the inclusion of multilevel governance that assigns the responsibility of individual or collective decision-making to a variety of actors, regarding measures of which the implementation has significant effects toward the sustainability of socio-hydrosystems. Multi-level governance procedures are compared with the potential of modelbased impact assessment. Our discussion is illustrated on the basis of the exploitation of the multi-agent platform MAELIA dedicated to the simulation of social, economic and environmental impacts of lowwater management in a context of climate and regulatory changes. We focus on three major decisionmaking processes occurring in the Adour-Garonne basin, France: (i) the participatory development of the Master Scheme for Water Planning and Management (SDAGE) under the auspices of the Water Agency; (ii) the publication of water use restrictions in situations of water scarcity; and (iii) the determination of the abstraction volumes for irrigation and their allocation. The MAELIA platform explicitly takes into account the mode of decision-making when it is framed by a procedure set beforehand, focusing on the actors' participation and on the nature and parameters of the measures to be implemented. It is observed that in some water organizations decision-making follows patterns that can be represented as rule-based actions triggered by thresholds of resource states. When decisions are resulting from individual choice, endowing virtual agents with bounded rationality allows us to reproduce (in silico) their behavior and decisions in a reliable way. However, the negotiation processes taking place during the period of time simulated by the models in arenas of collective choices are not all reproducible. Outcomes of some collective decisions are very little or not at all predictable. The development and simulation of a priori policy scenarios capturing the most plausible or interesting outcomes of such collective decisions on measures for low-water management allows these difficulties to be overcome. The building of these kind of scenarios requires close collaboration between researchers and stakeholders involved in arenas of collective choice, and implies the integration of the production of model and the analysis of scenarios as one component of the polycentric political process of water management.

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Data management to enhance long‐term watershed research capacity: context and STEWARDS case study

Steiner

Sadler

Hatfield³

et al. 2009

Ecohydrology

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Water resources are under pressure globally due to growing population, human migration into arid regions, and diverse competing needs. In recent decades, progress in the study of information (informatics) and its manipulation via computer-based tools has stimulated development of data systems in many natural resources disciplines. Such informatics systems provide data storage, access, visualization, perhaps with analysis/modelling tools, and download capacity. Application of database technology can overcome problems of fragmentation, inadequate documentation, and cumbersome manipulation of complex data. Data management was a critical requirement for USDA's Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) which was established to quantify environmental effects of agricultural conservation practices. Although USDA and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have conducted watershed research since early 20th century, the data have been managed and disseminated independently from each research location, reducing accessibility and utility of these data for policy-relevant, multi-site analyses.

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Tools to think with? Towards understanding the use of computer-based support tools in policy relevant research

Cited by 79 publications

References 26 publications

How to build models for government: criteria driving model acceptance in policymaking

How to build models for government: criteria driving model acceptance in policymaking

Critical multi-level governance issues of integrated modelling: An example of low-water management in the Adour-Garonne basin (France)

Data management to enhance long‐term watershed research capacity: context and STEWARDS case study

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