The Systems Approach: History and Schools of Thinking -- Systems and Systems Theory -- Schools of Systems Thinking - Development Trends in Systems Methodology -- Systems Analysis in Sweden - Examples of Projects Using a Systems Approach -- Systems Analysis in Geography -- Multi-Agent Systems, Time Geography, and Microsimulations -- Analyzing Biological Systems: The Brain as an Example -- Defining the Concept of Sustainability - a Matter of Systems Thinking and Applied Systems Analysis -- Systems Analysis in Sweden - Examples of Projects Using a Systems Approach -- Scenario-Based Methodologies for Strategy Development and Management of Change -- “Sweden in the Year 2021” - A Systems Study of Sweden’s Future Environment -- Environmental Accounts - A Tool for Interdisciplinary Analysis -- Environmental Systems Analysis - Some Ongoing Research and Ideas About Future Developments -- Some Properties of Environmental Systems Analysis Tools - Life Cycle Assessment as an Example -- Systems Approaches in Development Work -- The Systems Approach in Research on International Relations: The WTO Negotiations -- Systems Analysis in Sweden - Examples of Projects Using a Systems Approach -- Humans and Complex Systems: Sustainable Information Societies -- Large Technical Systems: a Multidisciplinary Research Tradition -- Development Trends, Future Prospects and Needs -- Systemic Interventions in Sweden: Some Discernible Patterns.

Within a conceptual framework that is developed in the two first chapters, the actual application of systems thinking is described across a broad field of cases representing research, teaching, decision support and construction. All cases are presented by experts who have actually been involved in the activities they describe. Thus, the broad selection of cases captures the great variation of systems thinking and how it is integrated into models and theories and solid knowledge pertaining to different substantive areas. At the same time all case study authors address the same set of questions that are developed in the conceptual chapters. This gives comparability across cases - chapters - and brings cohesion to the book. The focus on Sweden, an advanced country in systems thinking, reinforces the unitary context in which comparison can be made between a systems approach for better research (theory), better practice and better design and construction.