Experts of Policy Modeling

Experts for policy modelling can be divided into three groups: facilitators, analysts and those programming and running the simulation models. Facilitators are mediators who methodically control the collaboration. Policy analysts are experts that investigate scenarios and other (mostly textual) resources of phase 2 , they analyse these documents and provide conceptual representations of extracted knowledge. Analysts are responsible for the qualitative analyses of narrative scenarios, which result in the construction of consistent conceptual description (CCD). The analysis includes an extraction of knowledge from discussions, comments, and simulation results in phase 6 , and various materials that may support the development of scenarios (i.e. policy analysts are mostly engaged in phase 3 to develop the CCD). Policy modellers are experts that construct formal policy models according to a given CCD. In other words, modellers derive the simulation models from an existing CCD and the underlying textual scenarios. They create the simulation environment, program the simulation models and run customisable simulations. Modellers are, subsequently, also responsible for providing simulation results to domain experts, stakeholders, facilitators and analysts for enhancing the respective scenarios accordingly. Hence, policy modellers are mostly involved in phase 4 and phase 5 of the OCOPOMO policy development process .

Maria A. Wimmer, Karol Furdik, Melanie Bicking, Marian Mach, Tomas Sabol, and Peter Butka. Open Collaboration in Policy Development: Concept and Architecture to integrate scenario development and formal policy modelling. In Yannis Charalabidis and Sotiris Koussouris, editors, Empowering Open and Collaborative Governance. Springer Berlin / Heidelberg, 2012.