Training
Complex Adaptive Systems for Development
Professional Development Programme, 8-13 February 2015
Building Skills to Apply Complex Systems Approaches in Development and Humanitarian Work
| Dates | Sunday 8 February – Friday 13 February 2015 |
|---|---|
| Delivered by | – Ben Ramalingam, ODI / IDS, Author, Aid on the Edge of Chaos, Course Convenor; – Kim Warren, System Dynamics Society and Strategy Dynamics Ltd; – Seth Bullock, Institute of Complex Systems Simulation, Southampton University; – Bruce Cronin, Centre for Business Network Analysis, University of Greenwich – Steve Bishop, Nonlinear Dynamics, University College London |
| Cost | This is a residential course. Fees below include accomodation and all meals. – Early Bird Rate (booked and paid for before 31 October 2014): £1950.00 GBP – Standard Rate (booked and paid for after 1 November 2014): £2250 GBP – Non-resident rates – Early Bird: £1500 GBP, Standard: £1800 GBP |
| Venue | The course will be held at the Conference Centre, The Old Ship Hotel, Brighton, United Kingdom A 5 night stay at The Old Ship Hotel is included in the full fees. |
Course Overview
The Complex Adaptive Systems for Development Programme has been developed to meet the needs of practitioners, researchers and policy makers working in development and humanitarian contexts who want to deepen their skills in the approaches, methods and tools employed by leading complex systems researchers.
Course Objectives
By the end of the week, participants will:
- Have a better understanding of complex adaptive systems research in social, political and economic contexts with specific focus on development and humanitarian work
- Have exposure to the families of approaches used in complex systems research, get hands-on experience of approaches, and explore the benefits and limitations of different approaches
- Explore ways to address specific policy, operational and research issues using complex systems approaches, and to be able to select and use appropriate approaches for different problems
- Reflect on their own organisational capacity to engage with complex systems methods, and their potential role in bringing about improved engagement with these approaches in new and ongoing projects and programme
Course Content and Format
The Complex Adaptive Systems for Development Programme will cover the following elements:
- An introduction to complex adaptive systems and their relevance for development and humanitarian work
- Practical case studies of applying complex adaptive systems approaches in international cooperation
- Institutional capacities for working with complex problems and how to strengthen them
- Four distinct methods will be covered in detail. These are:
- System dynamics
- Agent-based models and evolutionary simulations
- Social network analysis
- Non-linear dynamic modelling
The course will be delivered over 6 days by a team of course leaders, all of whom are internationally recognised experts in the field of complex systems research. The course will use a mixture of lectures, practical group sessions, workshops and open discussions. There will be a strong emphasis on participants applying learning from the course to real-world challenges they face. Participants will be supported to work through these challenges with the support of highly experienced trainers, and in a supportive peer learning environment.
Intended Audience
This course is intended for practitioners, researchers and policy makers interested in complex systems methods and their applications to development and humanitarian work. The course has been designed to build on and enhance participant’s understanding of development and humanitarian issues.
