1. Wicked problems have no definitive formulation or stopping rule, and solutions are better or worse rather than true or false. 2. The early 20th century saw major economic and political changes including the rise of monopolies, World War I, and the creation of the Federal Reserve in the US. 3. There is no immediate or ultimate test for solutions to wicked problems, and every attempt counts significantly given the inability to learn from trial and error.

1. Wicked Problems
Gaurav Deshmukh
Santhil Kalantre
Yashveer Arya

2. Intro
ThefarmersinWoodCounty inrural northwest Ohionever saw it coming.Thesoldiershad
arrivedonthemorning of Sunday,February 28,2010.
Thenthesoldiersmarchedthemorethan20,000farmersaway at riflepoint.Never come
back,they weretold;thelandisnolonger yours
Thefarmerswereevenmoredistressedtolearnthat theWorldBank,anofficial
international organizationcombating global poverty,hadfinancedandpromotedthe
project by theBritishcompany.TheWorldBankisnot subject toOhioor UnitedStateslaw
or courts.
thewholeevent hasbeenforgottenby almost everyoneexcept thevictims.Thefarmers
couldonly wonder why nobody seemedtocare.

3. Tame Problems
Giventwopoints(x1,y1)and(x2,y2)onacoordinateplane,theslopeof thelinepassing
throughthesetwopointscanbecalculatedas:
m = (y2- y1)/ (x2- x1)
Theproblem isalsoconsideredwell-posed,meaning that it hasauniqueandwell-defined
solutionfor any giveninputs.

4. Wicked Problems
Climatechange:
Complexity:Theinteractionsbetweenthesesystemsaredifficult tounderstandandpredict,
making it achallenging issuetoaddress.
Uncertainty:Timing andmagnitudeof potential effectsontheenvironment,society,andthe
economy.
Value divergence:Deeply divisiveissue,withdiffering perspectivesandvaluessurrounding the
causes,consequences,andsolutionstotheproblem.

6. Quick History
"Wickedproblems" isaterm coinedbyHorst Rittel andMelvin Webber in their paper "Dilemmasin aGeneral
Theoryof Planning" in 1973.
Since the 1970s, the concept of wickedproblemshasbeen widelyusedin avarietyof fields, including urban
planning, publicpolicy, andmanagement.
Today, the concept of wickedproblemscontinuesto be relevant, asthe worldfacesincreasing global challenges
that require cross-disciplinaryandcollaborative approachesto solve.

7. Activity (Agent Based Modeling)
Stakeholder
Government
Industry Reps
Advocacy Groups
AffectedCom.nty.
Economical Res.
Sociological Res.
Political Res.
Historical Res.
Int.natnl.Rl.Res.
1900-1910
1910-1920
1920-1930
1930-1940
1940-1950
1950-1960
1960-1970
1970-1980
1980-1990
1990-2000

8. 1.
There isno definitive formulation of awickedproblem.
Thebeginning of the20thcentury wasmarkedby theriseof monopoliesandtrusts,aswell as
agrowing incomegap betweenrichandpoor.TheUnitedStatesbecamethedominant
economicpower,withmany Europeancountriesrecovering from theeffectsof WorldWar I.

9. 2.
Wickedproblemshave no stopping rule.
The1910sweremarkedby WorldWar I,whichhadaprofoundimpact ontheglobal economy.
Thewar ledtogovernment interventioninmany economies,aswell asthecreationof new
industriestosupport thewar effort.Thedecadealsosaw thebeginning of theFederal Reserve
System intheUnitedStates.

10. 3.
Solutionsto wickedproblemsare not true-or-false, but better or
worse.
The1920s,alsoknownasthe"Roaring Twenties,"wasadecadeof economicgrowthand
prosperity.Thewar-timeeconomy shiftedtoapeacetimeeconomy,andtherewasaboom in
consumer spending andconstruction.Thestockmarket alsoexperiencedaperiodof rapid
growth,knownasthe"Roaring Twenties.
"

11. 4.
There isno immediate andno ultimate test of asolution to a
wickedproblem.
The1930swerecharacterizedby theGreat Depression,whichwasasevereeconomicdownturn
that lastedfor most of thedecade.Unemployment reachedrecordlevels,andmany
businessesandbanksfailed.Thedecadealsosaw thebeginning of government interventionin
theeconomy,withthepassageof theNew Deal intheUnitedStates.

12. 5.
Everysolution to awickedproblem isa"one-shot operation";
because there isno opportunityto learn bytrial anderror, every
attempt countssignificantly.
The1940sweremarkedby WorldWar II,whichhadamajor impact ontheglobal economy.
Governmentspouredresourcesintothewar effort,leading toincreasedproductionandfull
employment.Thedecadealsosaw thebeginning of theBrettonWoodssystem,which
establishedtheUSdollar asthedominant currency intheworld.

13. 6.
Wickedproblemsdo not have an enumerable (or an exhaustively
describable) set of potential solutions, nor isthere awell-
describedset of permissible operationsthat maybe incorporated
into the plan.
The1950swasadecadeof prosperity andgrowth,withastrong economy andlow
unemployment.Thedecadealsosaw thebeginning of theColdWar,whichhadamajor impact
ontheworld'seconomy.TheUSandSoviet Unionbothpouredresourcesintomilitary
spending,leading totechnological advancementsandeconomicgrowth.

14. 7.
Everywickedproblem isessentiallyunique.
The1960swasadecadeof growthandchange,markedby theCivil RightsMovement andthe
beginning of theSpaceRace.Theeconomy grew rapidly,but therewerealsoconcernsabout
inflationandthegrowing incomegap betweenrichandpoor.

15. 8.
Everywickedproblem can be consideredto be asymptom of
another problem.
The1970swasadecadeof economicchallenges,markedby stagflation(acombinationof high
inflationandslow growth).Thedecadesaw ariseinoil prices,whichhadamajor impact onthe
world'seconomy,aswell asthebeginning of deindustrializationinmany countries.

16. 9.
The existence of adiscrepancyrepresenting awickedproblem can
be explainedin numerousways.The choice of explanation
determinesthe nature of the problem'sresolution.
The1980swasadecadeof economicgrowthandchange,markedby theriseof neoliberalism
andtheglobalizationof markets.Thedecadealsosaw thebeginning of theinformationage,
withadvancesintechnology leading toincreasedproductivity andgrowth

17. 10.
The social planner hasno right to be wrong (i.e., plannersare
liable for the consequencesof the actionstheygenerate).
The1990swasadecadeof growthandprosperity,withtheriseof theinternet andthegrowth
of thetechsector.Thedecadealsosaw thefall of theSoviet Unionandthebeginning of the
processof globalization.

18. Some major contemporary wicked problems
Climate Change
1.
Poverty& Inequality
2.
Conflict andViolence
3.
Political Polarization
4.
Environmental Degradation
5.
Accessto Healthcare
6.

19. Can wicked problems be solved?
Several techniquesthat couldbeemployed,emphasising that new processesandthinking arerequired:
Theability toworkacrossagency boundaries
1.
Increasing understanding andstimulating debateontheappropriateaccountability framework
2.
Effectively engaging stakeholdersandcitizensinunderstanding theproblemsandinidentifying possiblesolutions
3.
Big picturethinking andcooperativeworking
4.
Abetter understanding of behavioural changeby policy makers
5.
Tolerating uncertainty andaccepting theneedfor along-term focus
6.

20. Summary

21. Contemporary Top Wicked Problem Researchers
Mary Douglas British social anthropologist and
scholar of risk anduncertainty
David Collard Director of the Centre for the
Studyof Complex Systemsat the
Universityof Southampton
Mark Johnson Director of the Center for Ethics
andthe Natural Sciencesat
CaliforniaPolytechnicState
University

22. Words of Clifford Manshardt, Founder-Director of TISS, June 20, 1938