Wicked Is a Special Kind of Problem: What It Is and What to Do about It

摘要

WICKED PROBLEMS ARE CONFOUNDING. By-productsof human behavior, they intersect, shape shift, anddefy routine corrections. Calling a problem wicked,particularly in North America, speaks to scale. It ascribesexcess. It proclaims that something that has gonebeyond reasonable or predictable limits. Most majorsocietal problems—such as inequality, political instability,death, disease, or famine—are wicked. These problemsare overwhelming and consequential. Centuries of efforthave been unsuccessful in eradicating them. In recentyears, many water issues have been described as wickedproblems.