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• A book on applications of systems thinking in
  Swedish Research 1980 2000
• Result of a project funded by Formas the
  Swedish National Member Organization of IIASA

Edited by
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Short Project Overview
? Initiative
? Objectives
? Process
? Product
? Contents
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The Current Project 1999 Initiative by Dr.
Gunnar Sjöstedt (member of the Swedish
IIASA committee) to make an inventory of
Swedish systems related research in the period
19802000. 2000 Project established. Series
of seminars started. 2001 Authoring and
editing of chapter contributions.
2002 Publication contract was negotiated with
Kluwer Academic Publishers.
2003 Technical editing of the book manuscript.
2004 The book was published (late September).
Background 1972 The International Institute for
Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) was
established. 1976 Sweden became a member of
IIASA. 1981 Per Molanders report Systemanalys
i Sverige (Systems Analysis in
Sweden) was published.
? Initiative
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The project should be seen as a follow-up on Per
Molanders report Systems Analysis in Sweden
published in 1981. Three major objectives of the
report emerged in discussions among members of
the Swedish IIASA committee
? Objectives

1. To make an overview of various applications of
   systems thinking in Sweden to be used for a
   discussion about future developments and
   decisions on efficient research support.

1. To give a general historical overview of systems
   thinking in different fields of application and
   identify promising development trends.

1. To indicate the relation to IIASA and
   international tendencies in systems thinking in
   order to provide a foundation for an assessment
   of Swedish systems research efforts related to
   IIASAs activities and how these could be
   developed as part of a Swedish strategy in the
   field.

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• Ten seminars with Swedish scientists currently
  or previously engaged in studies employing a
  systems approach were conducted in the
  period February 2000 through November 2001.
  
• Seminar speakers were invited to contribute
  chapters to an anthology to be published with
  an international publishing house.
• Additional contributions were solicited among
  well-known Swedish scientists using a systems
  approach in their research.
• Some coordination among the contributors
  was achieved through a seminar with the
  authors in late 2001.

? Process
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Project Outcome
The project resulted in an anthology
containing an Introduction and 16 chapters
contributed by 22 authors.
? Product
The book was published in 2004 by Kluwer
Academic Publishers. ISBN 1-4020-2369-3 (HB)
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Preface, Editors Preface, Introduction Part I
The Systems Approach History and Schools of
Thinking Chapters 12 Part II Systems
Analysis in Sweden Examples of Projects Using
a Systems Approach Part II-A A Systems Approach
for Better Theory Chapters 36 Part II-B
Systems Analysis for Better Practice Chapters
713 Part II-C Systems Thinking for Better
Design and Construction Chapters 1415
Part III Development Trends, Future Prospects
and Needs Chapter 16
Preface by Lisa Sennerby Forsse and Uno Svedin
Editors' Preface by Mats-Olov Olsson and
Gunnar Sjöstedt Introduction by Uno Svedin
? Contents
1. Systems and Systems Theory by Mats-Olov
Olsson and Gunnar Sjöstedt 2. Schools of Systems
Thinking Development Trends in Systems
Methodology by Mats-Olov Olsson
Part II-B Systems Analysis for Better Practice
7. Scenario-Based Methodologies for Strategy
Development and Management of Change by
E. Anders Eriksson 8. "Sweden in the Year 2021"
a Systems Study of Sweden's Future
Environment by Anita Linell   9. Environmental
Accounts A Tool for Interdisciplinary Analysis
by Sofia Ahlroth 10. Environmental Systems
Analysis Some Ongoing Research and Ideas
about Future Developments by Anna Björklund
11. Some Properties of Environmental Systems
Analysis Tools Life Cycle Assessment as
an Example by Göran Finnveden, Tomas Ekvall and
Åsa Moberg 12. Systems Approaches in Development
Work by Semida Silveira 13. The Systems
Approach in Research on International Relations
The WTO Negotiations by Gunnar Sjöstedt
Part II-A A systems Approach for Better Theory
   3. Systems Analysis in Geography by Stefan
Anderberg 4. Multi-Agent Systems, Time
Geography, and Microsimulations by Magnus
Boman and Einar Holm 5. Analyzing Biological
Systems the Brain as an Example by Hans
Liljenström and Peter Århem 6. Defining the
Concept of Sustainability a Matter of Systems
Thinking and Applied Systems Analysis by
Harald Sverdrup and Mats G.E. Svensson
Part II-C  Systems Thinking for Better Design
and Construction 14. Humans and Complex Systems
Sustainable Information Societies by Rune
Gustavsson and Martin Fredriksson 15. Large
Technical Systems a Multidisciplinary Research
Tradition by Lena Ewertsson and Lars
Ingelstam
16. Systemic Interventions in Sweden Some
Discernible Patterns by Mats-Olov Olsson
and Gunnar Sjöstedt
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The End
To order the book go to http//www.springeronline
.com

• This presentation was prepared by
• Mats-Olov Olsson
• Centre for Regional Science (Cerum)
• Umeå University
• SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
• Mats-Olov.Olsson_at_cerum.umu.se
• www.umu.se/cerum