offered in the facilities of and in collaboration with the University of Bergen, Norway

Course Modules:

System Dynamics for Development Planning
Integrated Socio-economic-environmental Modeling and Planning
Advanced Modeling and Analysis for Development Planning

The critical-thinking pedagogical approach is what I like most in this course. It gives us a willingness and ability to think critically, to deliberate with others and to take an active part in learning. It entails meaningful involvement in the creation of a model for a virtual country, which makes us easily and effectively understand development planning and modeling as well. It is exactly what is called 'learning by doing'. Fei Fei, China

The current global economic crisis – with its impact on trade, food production, energy supply and demand – amid the growing concern about global warming, are a manifestation of complex development dynamics that we have failed to fully understand.

An increasingly complex and interdependent world demand that we understand how our social, economic, and environmental systems interact, so that we can preempt and mitigate the unintended consequences of policy decisions. It demands experts who think systemically and who combine comprehensive forecasting tools with other skills to develop policies grounded in knowledge of their likely impact decades in the future.

Millennium Institute’s System Dynamics-based Development Planning Course addresses this need. Through case studies and practical exercises, the course equips participants with the knowledge and skills required to effectively understand, map, and analyze complex national and global development challenges using a systemic perspective, and to determine the best approaches to address them.

The course is designed for professionals working in the field of development planning, especially policy advisors/analysts, and implementation and evaluation specialists from government institutions, research institutes, advocacy and civil society groups, private foundations, and international development agencies.