Soft OR in China: A critical report

• A historical–institutional analysis of the dynamic development of soft OR amid China’s reform.
• Three indigenous soft OR innovations, MSA, WSR and EPRM, are examined.
• The fate of soft OR in China lies in how it deals with the value plurality.
• The Chinese experiences and its wider implications beyond China are discussed.

As China’s reform steps into the ‘deep water zone’ where value complexity becomes paramount, general-purpose decision-making aids such as Operational Research (OR) are increasingly confronted with the challenge of dealing with interest conflicts. However, due to historical events and institutional circumstances, OR in China to date is largely constrained by a technocratic approach which is not fit for purpose. Encouragingly, recent OR innovations inside China signify a conscious move to embrace value plurality and tackle social conflicts. OR is not merely a neutral tool for solving technical problems, but a world-building discourse that shapes society. The future of OR, particularly Soft OR, in China will be determined by whether OR workers are willing and capable to act as institutional entrepreneurs promoting scientific and democratic decision-making that deepens the reform toward an open, just and prosperous society. The implications go beyond the OR community and China’s borders.