Prepared for the polycrisis? The need for complexity science and systems thinking to address global and national evidence gaps.

Autor: Kwamie A; Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, GE, Switzerland kwamiea@who.int., Causevic S; Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden., Tomson G; Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden., Sie A; Centre de Recherche en Sante de Nouna, Nouna, Boucle du Mouhoun, Burkina Faso., Sauerborn R; Institute for Global Health, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany., Rasanathan K; Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, GE, Switzerland., Ottersen OP; Medical Faculty, Sustainable Health Unit, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: BMJ global health [BMJ Glob Health] 2024 Sep 11; Vol. 9 (9). Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Sep 11.
DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-014887
Abstrakt: The Sustainable Development Goals are far off track. The convergence of global threats such as climate change, conflict and the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic-among others-call for better data and research evidence that can account for the complex interactions between these threats. In the time of polycrisis, global and national-level data and research evidence must address complexity. Viewed through the lens of 'systemic risk', there is a need for data and research evidence that is sufficiently representative of the multiple interdependencies of global threats. Instead, current global published literature seems to be dominated by correlational, descriptive studies that are unable to account for complex interactions. The literature is geographically limited and rarely from countries facing severe polycrisis threats. As a result, country guidance fails to treat these threats interdependently. Applied systems thinking can offer more diverse research methods that are able to generate complex evidence. This is achievable through more participatory processes that will assist stakeholders in defining system boundaries and behaviours. Additionally, applied systems thinking can draw on known methods for hypothesising, modelling, visualising and testing complex system properties over time. Application is much needed for generating evidence at the global level and within national-level policy processes and structures.
Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.
(© World Health Organization 2024. Licensee BMJ.)
Databáze: MEDLINE