Problem Structuring Methods, 1950s-1989: An Atlas of the Journal Literature

Abstract

Scholars of Problem Structuring Methods (PSMs) have yet to develop an articulated history of their field. This paper paves the way toward such a history. It maps the theoretical development of four PSMs up to 1989, that is, just prior to the publication of the first edition of Rational Analysis for a Problematic World. A networked bibliography of journal articles is offered, from which are extracted various types of subnetworks as well as associated statistics. Taken together, the networks and accompanying data compose a bibliographic atlas that facilitates multiple views of the literature, ranging from high-level panoramas to detailed tracings of the development of the literature through time. The atlas serves as a foundation from which future research may not only extend historical understanding, but also expand the temporal and contentual coverage of the atlas itself. Ten ways of tackling the literature are presented, culminating in initial reading lists for each of the four PSMs, thus providing orientation for those who wish to enter the territory. The paper is accompanied by an electronic supplement to the atlas that provides additional maps and descriptive statistics.