A system dynamics approach to the paper dematerialization process in the Italian public administration

Abstract

The dematerialization problem is still young, it hasn't been well analyzed yet and its definition is nearly absent in the literature. This paper concentrates on the problem with a methodological approach which will try to describe the underlying structures, the overall system behaviours, processes and stakeholders. We will give an interpretation of the not always linear relationships and of the feedback loops among the involved variables, also considering those soft interactions which typically arise in those complex systems connected with social environments and which often are not properly taken into account or even neglected. We will thus formalize a dynamical hypothesis so that, with a systemic approach, we can design a system dynamics model that may help us in validating those hypothesis and in building a useful decision support system, in order to provide the Public Administration Management with the chance to make policy analysis and strategic support concerning the major issues related to the dematerialization process. © 2008 Physica-Verlag Heidelberg.