The PhD program in "System Dynamics" is based on an integrated multidisciplinary approach. This approach aims to develop research-intervention skills that enable the student to acquire an interpretive framework on the relationships between the observed dynamic phenomena in various situations within social systems and the underlying causal structures. This interpretive framework focuses on the use of a methodology called "System Dynamics." This methodology enables the student to acquire analytical-diagnostic skills that support communication processes, learning, alignment, and improvement of mental models, as well as the adoption of normative systems, rules, and decision-making tools, leading to the formulation of "sustainable" policies, both in time and space. In other words, policies that not only improve results in the short term but also in the long term and which make the solution of problems compatible with the outcomes related to other similar problem areas.
Purpose of the Doctoral School :
The University’s Doctoral School aims to coordinate PhD programmes and manage their common activities, helping to ensure high-quality training in scientific research and to provide the skills necessary to carry out research activities, including at the international level, as well as highly qualified professional activities.
The PhD course in System Dynamics offers a rich schedule of training activities, quantitatively and qualitatively adequate to the purposes of the PhD, also through the participation of high-profile Italian and foreign scholars and experts from academia, research institutions, businesses, and cultural and social institutions. For more information, click here.
PhD Call – 41st Cycle, A.Y. 2025/2026 – Deadline: August 7, 2025, at 2:59 PM
Published: 8th July 2025
Deadline: 7th August 2025 - 14:59 (italian time)
Deadline postponed: 18th August 2025 - 14:59 (italian time)
Interviews in the window: 2025, 9th September - 10th October
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Call for application - EN (Published soon) |
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Starting from the 41st cycle, the PhD Program in Dynamics of Systems aims to launch an international research cluster on "Health & Environment", a topic of central and growing importance in the field of social sciences, given the close interconnection between environmental conditions, social inequalities, and human well-being. The interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary nature of the PhD Program in Dynamics of Systems makes it particularly well-suited and effective for analyzing these interconnections from a complex and innovative perspective.
For more information on how the overarching theme "Health & Environment" can be explored within the three curricula offered by the PhD Program in Dynamics of Systems, click the green bar below. ↓
Calendario Eventi dottorato Dinamica dei sistemi
The PhD program is structured into three interconnected curricula:
Model Based Public Planning, Policy Design and Management
Model Based Public Planning, Policy Design and Management
The PhD program - curriculum "Model Based Public Planning, Policy Design and Management" - focuses on the application of the System Dynamics methodology to promote a learning-oriented approach in public sector performance management and governance, aimed at designing and implementing sustainable policies.
The program is conducted entirely in English.
By attending the program, PhD candidates will learn how modeling the dynamics of a complex system (e.g., corporate, inter-corporate, etc.) can support collaborative governance, address "wicked" social issues, and achieve sustainable outcomes for the community.
"Wicked" social issues characterize most governmental planning, with specific concern for social matters. These are complex political problems marked by high risk and uncertainty and significant interdependence among the variables involved. Such issues cannot be confined within the boundaries of a single organization or referred to specific administrative levels or ministerial areas. They are characterized by dynamic complexity, involving multi-level, multi-actor, and multi-sectoral challenges. Examples of such issues include: traffic congestion, societal aging, unemployment, youth disengagement, education, social cohesion, domestic violence, child abuse, crime, corruption, terrorism, poverty, refugee migration flows, homelessness, climate change, and natural disasters.
Scientific Advisor: Prof. Carmine Bianchi
Legal Systems Dynamics
The main purpose of the curriculum "Legal Systems Dynamics" is to seek a new explanation for the theory of the circulation of legal systems, evaluating whether it is possible to use System Dynamics techniques.
System Dynamics is an approach to understanding the behavior of complex systems over time. It involves feedback loops and delays that affect the behavior of the entire system. The foundation of the method is the recognition that the structure of any system is often as important in determining its behavior as the individual components themselves. The analysis of the dynamics in the circulation of models should lead us to create flow diagrams that explain the circulation and the success of one model over another, beyond the outdated explanations of "prestige" or the presumed "economic efficiency" of the model itself.
At the same time, it will be a way to validate classifications and taxonomies in general, the theory of formants, the circulation of legal flows, and the transplantation of systems, also in light of the export of legal models within the framework of legal development cooperation programs. It will also reconstruct, both at the macro-comparative and micro-comparative levels, the evolution of major contemporary legal and social systems, in light of the principles of Systematics.
Scientific Advisor: Prof. Antonello Miranda
Historic, Economic and Social Systems Dynamics
Dynamics of Historical, Economic, and Social Systems
The main purpose of the curriculum "Historic, Economic and Social Systems Dynamics" is to seek a new explanation for the theory of the circulation of historical, economic, and social systems (including political aspects), evaluating whether it is possible to use System Dynamics techniques.
System Dynamics is an approach to understanding the behavior of complex systems over time. It involves feedback loops and delays that impact the behavior of the entire system. The foundation of the method is the recognition that the structure of any system is often as important in determining its behavior as the individual components themselves. The analysis of the dynamics in the circulation of models should lead to the creation of flow diagrams that explain the circulation and success of one model over another, beyond the outdated explanations of "prestige" or the presumed "economic efficiency" of the model itself.
Specifically, the aim is to deepen the study of the dynamics and socioeconomic varieties of capitalism from a historical perspective, including through the use of case studies and international comparisons. Examples of possible research projects include: the varieties of capitalism; welfare and labor market systems; economic growth theory; national and international economic institutions; and the processes of market integration and globalization.
Furthermore, the program aims to train researchers capable of analyzing change processes based on a close integration between sociological theories and empirical research, acquiring both a theoretical-conceptual preparation and mastery of the main methodologies and techniques of social research, both standard and non-standard.
Scientific Advisor: Prof. Giulia Adriana Pennisi