Simulation-Based Learning Environments to Teach Complexity: The Missing Link in Teaching Sustainable Public Management
Michael Deegan,
Krystyna Stave,
Rod MacDonald,
David Andersen,
Minyoung Ku,
Eliot Rich
Affiliations
Michael Deegan
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Institute for Water Resources, 7701 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA 22315, USA
Krystyna Stave
School of Environmental and Public Affairs, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA
Rod MacDonald
Institute for System Dynamics in the Public Sector, University at Albany, State University of New York, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222, USA
David Andersen
Department of Public Administration, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany, State University of New York, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222, USA
Minyoung Ku
Department of Public Administration, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany, State University of New York, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222, USA
Eliot Rich
Department of Information Technology Management, School of Business, University at Albany, State University of New York, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12222, USA
While public-sector management problems are steeped in positivistic and socially constructed complexity, public management education in the management of complexity lags behind that of business schools, particularly in the application of simulation-based learning. This paper describes a Simulation-Based Learning Environment for public management education that includes a coupled case study and System Dynamics simulation surrounding flood protection, a domain where stewardship decisions regarding public infrastructure and investment have direct and indirect effects on businesses and the public. The Pointe Claire case and CoastalProtectSIM simulation provide a platform for policy experimentation under conditions of exogenous uncertainty (weather and climate change) as well as endogenous effects generated by structure. We discuss the model in some detail, and present teaching materials developed to date to support the use of our work in public administration curricula. Our experience with this case demonstrates the potential of this approach to motivate sustainable learning about complexity in public management settings and enhance learners’ competency to deal with complex dynamic problems.
