I was going to suggest system dynamics as it especially well suited for complex domains, and for simulating the results of policy changes. Tools like Vensim an

I was going to suggest system dynamics as it especially well suited for complex domains, and for simulating the results of policy changes. Tools like Vensim and IThink are currently (commercially) available, and there are some open source tools that can do this. I think Berkeley Madonna is one, but I'm not entirely sure.