Global development is driven by a mix of factors such as economic growth, technological innovation, societal processes, and the effects of climate change. In different regions, and even within regions, these factors can differ in many critical ways. One region has access to energy while another doesn’t; one region has strong technological development while another doesn’t; one has restrictive social policies while another region's are progressive.
Past research efforts have concentrated on heterogeneity in localized areas, investigating such topics as epidemic diseases, biological population dynamics, and physical systems. Consequently, there is a vast amount of research devoted to age- and size-structured systems with applications in epidemiology, demography, resource management, and health economics.
This project will provide the research needed to address the management of large-scale heterogeneous socioeconomic systems with emphasis on spatial and behavioral diversification, cross-dependency of the driving factors, and spatial interactions. Researchers will also examine the control of heterogeneous natural systems.
The expected achievements include extensions of basic control principles to heterogeneous dynamical systems; a novel approach to aggregation of heterogeneity in multi-sector models of socioeconomic development; and an analysis of managing heterogeneous economic systems that must function with limited resources.
Currently, the project includes research on:
The project overlaps with the Game Dynamics Project.
2011 - 2015
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Schlossplatz 1, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Phone: (+43 2236) 807 0 Fax:(+43 2236) 71 313