'Till the Muddle in my Mind Have Cleared Awa': Can We Help Shape Policy Using Systems Modelling?

This paper considers how some well‐documented deficiencies of mental models make it difficult to create effective policies, and suggests that systems modelling can begin to address this issue. To illustrate the argument, three short cases are presented. These relate to specific domains but demonstrate how systems modelling can illuminate different general phenomena: effects on labour costs (unintended consequences and feedback), fishery management (accumulation and non‐linearity) and child protection (worldviews and sense‐making). Six levers for increasing the use of systems modelling in the policy arena are then discussed. The paper closes by emphasising the opportunities for systems modellers in the Anthropocene Era. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.