System modeling in economics: evolution of approaches and development prospects

The goal of this paper is to analyze currently existing approaches to modeling economic systems from the perspective of how they incorporate various aspects of their functioning into the modeled domain and what practical recommendations in the field of economic systems management are developed on this basis. This analysis is conducted in order to further create from the existing approaches a new integrated approach, within which it will be possible to construct models of economic systems that are more comprehensive in covering aspects of their operation for the development of more comprehensive strategies for managing these systems. The study summarizes the features of four existing approaches to system modeling of economic phenomena, within which the objects of study and practical management influence can be: the processes of restoring equilibrium in an economic system in response to disturbances (D. Forrester's system dynamics), the organization of interactions between its subsystems (G.B. Kleiner's economic tetrads), the combination of management functions in a system during a change in the phases of its life cycle (I. Adizes's PAEI model) and the dissemination of the results of an economic system's work in the external environment (Bass-Rogers diffusion model). An approach to describing economic systems has been developed that integrates the principles of the four previously analyzed approaches. Within this framework, economic system management is proposed to be structured taking into account the fact that the system's product gradually encompasses new consumer groups, while the economic system itself simultaneously moves through the phases of its life cycle, each characterized by its own mechanism for restoring systemic equilibrium, a distinct distribution of roles between subsystems and the need for distinct combinations of management functions. Thus, the contours of a general strategy for managing economic systems are formed based on a more multifaceted model representation. The developed approach to modeling economic systems and formulating management strategies for them is also integrated with the system-wide law of the spiral development of S-shaped life cycles. The main principle of this approach is the need to ensure the continuity of individual life cycles of the economic system, each of which is managed according to the model described in the previous section. The obtained results provide the basis for detailing the developed approach as applied to economic systems with different specificities.