Conference – Models for Real World Policy, London, 25th April 2014

Conference – Models for Real World Policy

Date: 25^th April 2014 – 9.30-17.30 with drinks reception

Venue: Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AG

A one day conference for policy professionals to consider how the policy making processes can benefit from new tools and thinking emerging from study of complex social systems involved in real world global challenges.

The event is convened by the four Complexity Science in the Real World projects featured on this website.  There will be an opportunity to hear from senior policy figures making use of modelling in their work.

As the projects enter their final phase, this is an opportunity for interaction between academia and policy, building on local, national and international stakeholder engagement that has taken place since the projects started in 2010, to steer the outputs towards real world influence.

The research combines social science with cutting edge science in Maths, Computing, Engineering and Physics to develop models and simulations using an advanced set of techniques.  Applications include

• care for an ageing population
• immigration and diversity
• sustainability
• energy
• trade
• security
• crime
• international aid
• employment and voting

Integration between these themes will be considered at global and local scales.

Speakers: These will include Prof Bernard Silverman, Chief Scientific Advisor, Home Office and Alec Waterhouse, Head of Modelling Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) together with all four project leads, Prof Nigel Gilbert, Sir Alan Wilson, Prof Jane Falkingham and Prof Ed Fieldhouse.

Policy speaker bios

Academic speaker bios

There will also be discussion groups and poster sessions.

Programme: can be viewed here.

Audience: The event will be of interest to senior professionals involved in researching, analysing, drafting and evaluating policies and advising government.  They may be working in Government Departments and Bodies, Civil Service, Think Tanks, NGOs, Charities and other intermediaries.  It will be especially relevant to those with a cross-cutting remit helping translate new thinking.  Potential stakeholders previously unfamiliar with the projects are especially welcome.

Registration: The event is funded by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council and is free to attend.  Lunch and refreshments provided.

To book a place please register online and complete the registration questionnaire

You must register even if you are speaking or running the event so we can gauge the attendees, catering requirements and perform an evaluation.  Please let us know as soon as possible if you want to cancel your place or send a substitute, correct delegate packs and catering provisions cannot be guaranteed less than five working before the event.

CfP: “Joining Complexity Science and Social Simulation for Policy”, Budapest, May 2014

Call for Papers: SKIN 3 Workshop Joining Complexity Science and Social Simulation for Policy

A workshop at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary, 22–23 May 2014 Workshop URL: http://cress.soc.surrey.ac.uk/skin/events/third-skin-workshop

This 2-days workshop organised by the EA European Academy of Technology and Innovation Assessment (www.ea-aw.org) as its annual conference with two co-organisers and one local host will bring together two scientific communities to join forces in research on innovation policy modelling. Innovation intersects the concerns of complexity models and social simulation. The intention of the workshop is to explore how complexity models and simulation can be used to improve and inform the innovation policy making process. The workshop will take place at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest (Hungary), from 22 to 23 May 2014 and is supported by the EGovPoliNet project (http://www.policy-community.eu ).

Guest Speakers:

• Prof. Erik Johnston (Centre for Policy Informatics, Arizona State University, USA)
• Prof. Bruce Edmonds (Centre for Policy Modelling, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, UK)

It will focus on three key overlapping themes:

• Modelling, understanding and managing innovation policy using the SKIN model
• Large scale data and scalability for research and innovation policy modelling
• SKIN between complexity science and social science: mechanisms and components

Places are limited and priority will be given to those offering presentations or posters.
A more detailed account of these themes can be found at: http://www.policy-community.eu. Further information about the SKIN model is at http://cress.soc.surrey.ac.uk/skin/

Abstract Submission

Talk abstracts should be submitted by 6th January 2014 in text, Word or pdf format to skin3@ea-aw.de. Posters from PhD students, planning to attend, describing their research designs, issues and any results are greatly encouraged. Please also email skin3@ea-aw.de if you plan to do this.

SKIN Book Launch

The workshop will use the opportunity to launch the SKIN book Simulating the Knowledge Dynamics of Innovation Networks that will have been just published by Springer. There will be a book launch event on the evening of the first workshop day.

Key Dates

• Abstract submission: 6th January 2014
• Notification of acceptance: 17th February 2014
• Workshop: 22nd and 23rd May 2014

Organisation

SKIN Organisers:

• Prof. Petra Ahrweiler (EA European Academy of Technology and Innovation Assessment, Germany, EgovPoliNet partner)
• Prof. Nigel Gilbert (Centre for Research on Social Simulation CRESS, University of Surrey, UK)
• Prof. Andreas Pyka (Innovation Economics, University of Hohenheim, Germany)
• Local Organiser:
• Prof. George Kampis (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary)

Programme Committee (to be confirmed):

Dirk Helbing, Wander Jager, Jeff Johnson, Paul Ormerod, Andrea Scharnhorst, Flaminio Squazzoni, Klaus G. Troitzsch, Matthias Weber, Maria Wimmer

Contact

For organisational queries, contact skin3@ea-aw.de and for general queries, contact Petra Ahrweiler at petra.ahrweiler@ea-aw.de.

ECCS 2013 satellite on “Integrated Utility Services: Smart Systems Complex Models”

In collaboration with EIFER and De Montfort University, we managed to get a satellite which you may find interesting.  It is not too late to contribute a paper particularly if you will be at ECCS anyway.

We are interested in complex systems perspectives on modelling smart systems which deliver sustainable integrated utility services. If you want to read more please see the satellite description at http://www.som.cranfield.ac.uk/som/p19607/Research/Research-Centres/Complex-Systems-Research-Centre/ECCS13-Satellite-Workshop

Looking forward to seeing you in Barcelona.

Kind regards, Liz Varga

Liz Varga

Director Complex Systems Reseacrh Centre

Principal Research Fellow, School Of Management

Building 122, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL

W: www.cranfield.ac.uk  E: liz.varga@cranfield.ac.uk

T: +44 (0)1234 754802 

No workshop at ECCS 2013 but…

…due to some accidents of communication, but there will be at least two publications in this area.

1. it looks likely that a Special Issue of Journal of Policy and Complex Systems will happen with a selection of papers from the 2012 workshop.

2. Robert Geyer and Paul Cairney are co-editing a handbook on on “Complexity and Public Policy” for publisher Edgar Elgar, which aims to be published in 2014.

New Mailing List: “Policy Informatics Network”

Policy Informatics Network

A new mailing list (called Policy Informatics Network (PIN-L)) to connect a group of 80+ researchers who attended the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) conference and others. (Not the mailing list for the CRW@ECCS workshop!)

A couple of weeks ago we launched a Listserv (called Policy Informatics Network (PIN-L)) to connect a group of 80+ researchers who attended the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) conference last year.The group is made up of individuals from over 30 different universities and research centers interested in the umbrella area of policy informatics. The focus of the community of interest is on the use of information technologies and the multiple approaches to systems modeling to inform policy inquiry. We are excited about this opportunity to form a community of kindred scholars, practitioners and researchers.

We are writing to encourage you to do two things:

(1) Subscribe to this listerv so that you can follow and help support
these efforts, and

(2) Forward a copy of this message to colleagues and friends who are
also interested in promoting a tighter linkage between policy informatics and
main line public policy researchers.

You can sign up easily by sending a blank email to:
PIN-L-SUBSCRIBE-REQUEST@LISTSERV.ALBANY.EDU

Associated workshop 25/26 Sept. in the UK: Complexity Science and Social Science at the Interface to the Real World

There is a (different) workshop: “Complexity Science and Social Science at the Interface to the Real World” 25/26 September 2012 in the UK (http://www.csrw.ac.uk/events-hosted/complex-interface-conference-2012), a few places only remain for this, so register soon if you want to go to this.

Summary of Discussion on Day 2

• Jan Ramon (an expert in Statistical Data Mining) would like to talk to those interested in Statistical Aspects/Checking of Models/Output, e.g.: linking official and crowd-sourced data, exploiting official data, design of simulation experiments.  Please email jan.ramon@cs.kuleuven.be if you are interested.
• A possible application for data-mining in terms of the (automatic or semi-automatic) comparison of legal documents in different languages, similarity measures/warnings, to find differences and how to harmonise
• A Special Issue is planned – please suggest journals for this.  Ones mentioned included: Social Policy Journal and CCS’s LiquidJournal.
• It was thought that we should build towards an EU application for a CA/ESF to promote and support further meeting on this topic.
• It was suggested that we should form a network to further collaboration on this area – how to filter/use internet data for social/policy modelling? “BIG” data (Google, national statistical offices), Data2Knowledge
• Other relevant networks mentioned includes: eGovPoliNet, NESS, ESSA, CCS, and FuturICT

 

Slides of Diane Payne and Pablo Lucas’s talk on: “Integra(ng Collective Decision-­‐Making Models and Agent-­‐Based Simulation”

Pablo.Lucas@ucd.ie, Diane.Payne@ucd.ie
University College Dublin

Slides at: https://crweccs.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/pablo-diane-eccs20121.pdf

Slides of Federica Rossi et al.s talk on “What policies to support regional networking capabilities? Evidence from a regional innovation policy framework 2002-2008”

Annalisa Caloffi, Federica Rossi, Margherita Russo
Università di Padova, Birkbeck College, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Slides at: https://crweccs.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/caloffirossirusso_crw-eccs121_final.pptx

Slides of Greg Fisher’s talk on: “Putting Policy Makers First”

From the Synthesis Think Tank (http://www.synthesisips.net)

Slides at: https://crweccs.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/gf-presentation-to-eccs-12.ppt