Abstract
The coupled nature of FEW systems means the human and natural systems are linked such that human behavior impacts natural processes, and the outcomes of these natural processes influence human behavior. Effectively managing FEW systems requires understanding how humans behave and interact with their natural and social environments, as well as understanding the environmental impacts of social changes (e.g., population growth and urbanization). We discuss the importance of including more sophisticated models of human behavior in the study of FEW systems and provide examples of how past research has incorporated complexity in human behavior into models of these systems. We do so from the perspectives of psychology, economics, and decision science—all social sciences with well-developed theories and models of human behavior that are useful in informing models and policies. We present two case studies as examples of how research can explicitly account for human behavior in these systems. Finally, we discuss challenges in incorporating human behavior and adaptation into models of these systems and identify future directions for work in this field.
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Notes
- 1.
Utility maximization is a theoretical framework often used to model human behavior in economics. Utility maximization assumes people have a well-defined function that determines their utility (called a utility function). In economics, this function has certain properties that make it easy to model. For example, utility functions are assumed to be decreasing in the price of an object, so that an individual experiences less utility if the price of that object increases. These functions and their defined properties make them easy to incorporate into economic models, although some of the assumptions they make may not be accurate in describing someone’s well-being, and the behavioral predictions made by using such models have often found to be lacking in their ability to model people’s actual behavior.
- 2.
See Irwin and Wrenn (2014) for a discussion of equilibrium-based and other modeling approaches, including agent-based models, in the context of land use decision-making and land change systems.
- 3.
See Irwin et al. (2016b) for more discussion of these and other dynamic coupled models of human-natural systems.
- 4.
Approximately $32 million per year is spent in the Lake Erie basin by the federal government on agricultural conservation.
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Doidge, M., Irwin, E., Sintov, N., Wilson, R.S. (2020). Human Behavior and Adaptation. In: Saundry, P., Ruddell, B. (eds) The Food-Energy-Water Nexus. AESS Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies and Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29914-9_4
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