Adapt or Perish: An Approach to Planning Under Deep Uncertainty

Adapt or Perish: An Approach to Planning Under Deep Uncertainty

Walker, W.E.

Aerospace Engineering

Control & Operations

2015-06-23

Much policy advice is formulated implicitly assuming that the future can be predicted. A static policy is developed using a single ‘most likely’ future, often based on the extrapolation of trends; or a static ‘robust’ policy is developed that will produce acceptable outcomes in a range of plausible future worlds. However, if the future turns out to be different from the hypothesized future(s), the policy might fail. Furthermore, not only is the future highly uncertain, the conditions policymakers need to deal with are changing over time. This paper begins by defining what is meant by ‘deep uncertainty’. It then describes a new approach for planning under conditions of deep uncertainty that is based on creating a strategic vision of the future, committing to short-term actions, and establishing a framework to guide future actions. A policy that embodies these ideas allows for its dynamic adaptation over time to meet the changing circumstances.

deep uncertainty
robust decision making
adaptive policies
adaptation pathways
exploratory modeling and analysis

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a00101e7-45d9-4659-b344-4977ba89b814

Incertitude et connaissances en SHS: production, diffusion, transfert, June 2014, Nice, France

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