Wicked-Problems.pdf
- 1. Wicked Problems Gaurav Deshmukh Santhil Kalantre Yashveer Arya
- 2. Intro ThefarmersinWoodCounty inrural northwest Ohionever saw it coming.Thesoldiershad arrivedonthemorning of Sunday,February 28,2010. Thenthesoldiersmarchedthemorethan20,000farmersaway at riflepoint.Never come back,they weretold;thelandisnolonger yours Thefarmerswereevenmoredistressedtolearnthat theWorldBank,anofficial international organizationcombating global poverty,hadfinancedandpromotedthe project by theBritishcompany.TheWorldBankisnot subject toOhioor UnitedStateslaw or courts. thewholeevent hasbeenforgottenby almost everyoneexcept thevictims.Thefarmers couldonly wonder why nobody seemedtocare.
- 3. Tame Problems Giventwopoints(x1,y1)and(x2,y2)onacoordinateplane,theslopeof thelinepassing throughthesetwopointscanbecalculatedas: m = (y2- y1)/ (x2- x1) Theproblem isalsoconsideredwell-posed,meaning that it hasauniqueandwell-defined solutionfor any giveninputs.
- 4. Wicked Problems Climatechange: Complexity:Theinteractionsbetweenthesesystemsaredifficult tounderstandandpredict, making it achallenging issuetoaddress. Uncertainty:Timing andmagnitudeof potential effectsontheenvironment,society,andthe economy. Value divergence:Deeply divisiveissue,withdiffering perspectivesandvaluessurrounding the causes,consequences,andsolutionstotheproblem.
- 6. Quick History "Wickedproblems" isaterm coinedbyHorst Rittel andMelvin Webber in their paper "Dilemmasin aGeneral Theoryof Planning" in 1973. Since the 1970s, the concept of wickedproblemshasbeen widelyusedin avarietyof fields, including urban planning, publicpolicy, andmanagement. Today, the concept of wickedproblemscontinuesto be relevant, asthe worldfacesincreasing global challenges that require cross-disciplinaryandcollaborative approachesto solve.
- 7. Activity (Agent Based Modeling) Stakeholder Government Industry Reps Advocacy Groups AffectedCom.nty. Economical Res. Sociological Res. Political Res. Historical Res. Int.natnl.Rl.Res. 1900-1910 1910-1920 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1950-1960 1960-1970 1970-1980 1980-1990 1990-2000
- 8. 1. There isno definitive formulation of awickedproblem. Thebeginning of the20thcentury wasmarkedby theriseof monopoliesandtrusts,aswell as agrowing incomegap betweenrichandpoor.TheUnitedStatesbecamethedominant economicpower,withmany Europeancountriesrecovering from theeffectsof WorldWar I.
- 9. 2. Wickedproblemshave no stopping rule. The1910sweremarkedby WorldWar I,whichhadaprofoundimpact ontheglobal economy. Thewar ledtogovernment interventioninmany economies,aswell asthecreationof new industriestosupport thewar effort.Thedecadealsosaw thebeginning of theFederal Reserve System intheUnitedStates.
- 10. 3. Solutionsto wickedproblemsare not true-or-false, but better or worse. The1920s,alsoknownasthe"Roaring Twenties,"wasadecadeof economicgrowthand prosperity.Thewar-timeeconomy shiftedtoapeacetimeeconomy,andtherewasaboom in consumer spending andconstruction.Thestockmarket alsoexperiencedaperiodof rapid growth,knownasthe"Roaring Twenties. "
- 11. 4. There isno immediate andno ultimate test of asolution to a wickedproblem. The1930swerecharacterizedby theGreat Depression,whichwasasevereeconomicdownturn that lastedfor most of thedecade.Unemployment reachedrecordlevels,andmany businessesandbanksfailed.Thedecadealsosaw thebeginning of government interventionin theeconomy,withthepassageof theNew Deal intheUnitedStates.
- 12. 5. Everysolution to awickedproblem isa"one-shot operation"; because there isno opportunityto learn bytrial anderror, every attempt countssignificantly. The1940sweremarkedby WorldWar II,whichhadamajor impact ontheglobal economy. Governmentspouredresourcesintothewar effort,leading toincreasedproductionandfull employment.Thedecadealsosaw thebeginning of theBrettonWoodssystem,which establishedtheUSdollar asthedominant currency intheworld.
- 13. 6. Wickedproblemsdo not have an enumerable (or an exhaustively describable) set of potential solutions, nor isthere awell- describedset of permissible operationsthat maybe incorporated into the plan. The1950swasadecadeof prosperity andgrowth,withastrong economy andlow unemployment.Thedecadealsosaw thebeginning of theColdWar,whichhadamajor impact ontheworld'seconomy.TheUSandSoviet Unionbothpouredresourcesintomilitary spending,leading totechnological advancementsandeconomicgrowth.
- 14. 7. Everywickedproblem isessentiallyunique. The1960swasadecadeof growthandchange,markedby theCivil RightsMovement andthe beginning of theSpaceRace.Theeconomy grew rapidly,but therewerealsoconcernsabout inflationandthegrowing incomegap betweenrichandpoor.
- 15. 8. Everywickedproblem can be consideredto be asymptom of another problem. The1970swasadecadeof economicchallenges,markedby stagflation(acombinationof high inflationandslow growth).Thedecadesaw ariseinoil prices,whichhadamajor impact onthe world'seconomy,aswell asthebeginning of deindustrializationinmany countries.
- 16. 9. The existence of adiscrepancyrepresenting awickedproblem can be explainedin numerousways.The choice of explanation determinesthe nature of the problem'sresolution. The1980swasadecadeof economicgrowthandchange,markedby theriseof neoliberalism andtheglobalizationof markets.Thedecadealsosaw thebeginning of theinformationage, withadvancesintechnology leading toincreasedproductivity andgrowth
- 17. 10. The social planner hasno right to be wrong (i.e., plannersare liable for the consequencesof the actionstheygenerate). The1990swasadecadeof growthandprosperity,withtheriseof theinternet andthegrowth of thetechsector.Thedecadealsosaw thefall of theSoviet Unionandthebeginning of the processof globalization.
- 18. Some major contemporary wicked problems Climate Change 1. Poverty& Inequality 2. Conflict andViolence 3. Political Polarization 4. Environmental Degradation 5. Accessto Healthcare 6.
- 19. Can wicked problems be solved? Several techniquesthat couldbeemployed,emphasising that new processesandthinking arerequired: Theability toworkacrossagency boundaries 1. Increasing understanding andstimulating debateontheappropriateaccountability framework 2. Effectively engaging stakeholdersandcitizensinunderstanding theproblemsandinidentifying possiblesolutions 3. Big picturethinking andcooperativeworking 4. Abetter understanding of behavioural changeby policy makers 5. Tolerating uncertainty andaccepting theneedfor along-term focus 6.
- 20. Summary
- 21. Contemporary Top Wicked Problem Researchers Mary Douglas British social anthropologist and scholar of risk anduncertainty David Collard Director of the Centre for the Studyof Complex Systemsat the Universityof Southampton Mark Johnson Director of the Center for Ethics andthe Natural Sciencesat CaliforniaPolytechnicState University
- 22. Words of Clifford Manshardt, Founder-Director of TISS, June 20, 1938