Complex Systems and Decision Making
Complex Systems and Decision Making is a research topic within Management Science and Operations Research. Science Explorer counts 39k research works in it since 1950. 17.1% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.
This cluster of papers revolves around the application of system dynamics and related methodologies in modeling complex systems, decision making, and sustainability. It covers topics such as soft systems methodology, problem structuring methods, feedback loops, operational research, and group model building.
- System Dynamics
- Soft Systems Methodology
- Problem Structuring Methods
- Complex Systems
- Modeling
- Decision Making
- Feedback Loops
- Sustainability
- Operational Research
- Group Model Building
- Research works
- 39k fractional, since 1950
- In the world top 10%
- 6.6k per year above
- Top-10% rate
- 17.1% share of its works in the world top 10%
- Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
- +1% the tick is no change
Which countries lead Complex Systems and Decision Making research?
By volume, the United States and the United Kingdom publish the most (1.4k and 446 works in 2022–2025).
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 United States 1.4k works
- 2 United Kingdom 446 works
- 3 Germany 308 works
- 4 China 265 works
- 5 Netherlands 201 works
- 6 Italy 199 works
- 7 France 191 works
- 8 Australia 190 works
- 9 India 185 works
- 10 Canada 172 works
How concentrated that is
The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.
Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.
Which institutions lead Complex Systems and Decision Making research?
By volume in 2022–2025, Copenhagen Business School publishes the most Complex Systems and Decision Making research, followed by Delft University of Technology and Sapienza University of Rome.
By volume, 2022–2025
- 1 Copenhagen Business SchoolDenmark 41 works
- 2 Delft University of TechnologyNetherlands 32 works
- 3 Sapienza University of RomeItaly 28 works
- 4 Cornell UniversityUnited States 27 works
- 5 Aalborg UniversityDenmark 25 works
- 6 Imperial College LondonUnited Kingdom 21 works
- 7 York UniversityCanada 21 works
- 8 Arizona State UniversityUnited States 20 works
- 9 University College LondonUnited Kingdom 19 works
- 10 Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States 19 works
Who are the leading researchers in Complex Systems and Decision Making?
The most-cited researchers publishing on Complex Systems and Decision Making include Jay B. Barney.
- 1 Jay B. Barney United States 10k citations
Ranked by citations received across their whole record, among researchers with at least three works on this topic.
Where is Complex Systems and Decision Making research done?
The largest centres of Complex Systems and Decision Making research in 2022–2025 are London (United Kingdom), Beijing (China), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Rome (Italy).
Largest cities, 2022–2025
- 1 London United Kingdom 124 works
- 2 Beijing China 67 works
- 3 Copenhagen Denmark 57 works
- 4 Rome Italy 55 works
- 5 Paris France 55 works
- 6 Washington D.C. United States 49 works
- 7 Tokyo Japan 49 works
- 8 New York United States 46 works
- 9 Toronto Canada 39 works
- 10 Amsterdam Netherlands 39 works
Where is the best place to study Complex Systems and Decision Making?
Among universities, judged by research, Delft University of Technology, Copenhagen Business School and Stockholm University score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.
One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.
| # | University | Score | Top 10% | Specialisation | Works | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delft University of TechnologyNetherlands | 63.2 | 19.3% | 8.8× | 32 | -40.8% |
| 2 | Copenhagen Business SchoolDenmark | 63.0 | 13.5% | 46.7× | 41 | -14.3% |
| 3 | Stockholm UniversitySweden | 62.3 | 29.8% | 6.2× | 11 | +119.8% |
| 4 | University of HullUnited Kingdom | 58.7 | 22.5% | 22.2× | 13 | -12.1% |
| 5 | University of AmsterdamNetherlands | 57.0 | 32.3% | 5.2× | 14 | -29.1% |
| 6 | Radboud University NijmegenNetherlands | 57.0 | 33.5% | 5.6× | 12 | -38.8% |
| 7 | Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamNetherlands | 56.6 | 27.2% | 6.5× | 14 | -1.1% |
| 8 | York UniversityCanada | 55.1 | 15.8% | 10.5× | 20 | -32.7% |
| 9 | Aalborg UniversityDenmark | 54.0 | 6.7% | 9.2× | 26 | +43.6% |
| 10 | University of OuluFinland | 53.3 | 16.0% | 6.6× | 9 | +241.3% |
Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.
Is Complex Systems and Decision Making research growing?
Output in 2018–2022 was 1% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2024. The fastest-growing topics are Complex Systems and Decision Making.
The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.
Which topics inside it are moving
Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.