Twenty Years of Dynamic Systems Approaches to Development: Significant Contributions, Challenges, and Future Directions

— After more than 20 years of theory and empirical research, dynamic systems (DS) approaches to development have yielded new insights into and understanding of processes of stability and change. Despite this progress, these approaches have only begun to realize the promise they hold for the field. In the brief articles in this section, 4 of the most prominent DS developmentalists provide critical evaluations of the DS approach by answering three questions: (a) What are the greatest contributions of the DS approach to development over the past 20 years? (b) What is your evaluation of the progress of DS‐inspired empirical research? (c) What are the challenges and necessary directions for DS in the next 20 years? These critical evaluations should illuminate DS theory and research to date and inspire the next generation of researchers to continue this work.