Complexity and the Art of Public Policy

Complexity and the Art of Public Policy PDF Author: David Colander
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691169136
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
How ideas in complexity can be used to develop more effective public policy Complexity science—made possible by modern analytical and computational advances—is changing the way we think about social systems and social theory. Unfortunately, economists' policy models have not kept up and are stuck in either a market fundamentalist or government control narrative. While these standard narratives are useful in some cases, they are damaging in others, directing thinking away from creative, innovative policy solutions. Complexity and the Art of Public Policy outlines a new, more flexible policy narrative, which envisions society as a complex evolving system that is uncontrollable but can be influenced. David Colander and Roland Kupers describe how economists and society became locked into the current policy framework, and lay out fresh alternatives for framing policy questions. Offering original solutions to stubborn problems, the complexity narrative builds on broader philosophical traditions, such as those in the work of John Stuart Mill, to suggest initiatives that the authors call "activist laissez-faire" policies. Colander and Kupers develop innovative bottom-up solutions that, through new institutional structures such as for-benefit corporations, channel individuals’ social instincts into solving societal problems, making profits a tool for change rather than a goal. They argue that a central role for government in this complexity framework is to foster an ecostructure within which diverse forms of social entrepreneurship can emerge and blossom.

Complexity and the Art of Public Policy

Complexity and the Art of Public Policy PDF Author: David Colander
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691169136
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book Here

Book Description
How ideas in complexity can be used to develop more effective public policy Complexity science—made possible by modern analytical and computational advances—is changing the way we think about social systems and social theory. Unfortunately, economists' policy models have not kept up and are stuck in either a market fundamentalist or government control narrative. While these standard narratives are useful in some cases, they are damaging in others, directing thinking away from creative, innovative policy solutions. Complexity and the Art of Public Policy outlines a new, more flexible policy narrative, which envisions society as a complex evolving system that is uncontrollable but can be influenced. David Colander and Roland Kupers describe how economists and society became locked into the current policy framework, and lay out fresh alternatives for framing policy questions. Offering original solutions to stubborn problems, the complexity narrative builds on broader philosophical traditions, such as those in the work of John Stuart Mill, to suggest initiatives that the authors call "activist laissez-faire" policies. Colander and Kupers develop innovative bottom-up solutions that, through new institutional structures such as for-benefit corporations, channel individuals’ social instincts into solving societal problems, making profits a tool for change rather than a goal. They argue that a central role for government in this complexity framework is to foster an ecostructure within which diverse forms of social entrepreneurship can emerge and blossom.

Public Policy Making

Public Policy Making PDF Author: Larry N. Gerston
Publisher: M.E. Sharpe
ISBN: 0765627434
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
This brief text identifies the issues, resources, actors, and institutions involved in public policy making and traces the dynamics of the policymaking process, including the triggering of issue awareness, the emergence of an issue on the public agenda, the formation of a policy commitment, and the implementation process that translates policy into practice. Throughout the text, which has been revised and updated, Gerston brings his analysis to life with abundant examples from the most recent and emblematic cases of public policy making. At the same time, with well-chosen references, he places policy analysis in the context of political science and deftly orients readers to the classics of public policy studies. Each chapter ends with discussion questions and suggestions for further reading.

Handbook on the Economic Complexity of Technological Change

Handbook on the Economic Complexity of Technological Change PDF Author: Cristiano Antonelli
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 0857930370
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 577

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Book Description
This comprehensive and innovative Handbook applies the tools of the economics of complexity to analyse the causes and effects of technological and structural change. It grafts the intuitions of the economics of complexity into the tradition of analysis based upon the Schumpeterian and Marshallian legacies. The Handbook elaborates the notion of innovation as an emerging property of the organized complexity of an economic system, and provides the basic tools to understand the recursive dynamics between the emergence of innovation and the unfolding of organized complexity. In so doing, it highlights the role of organizational thinking in explaining the introduction of innovations and the dynamics of structural change. With a new methodological approach to the economics of technological change, this wide-ranging volume will become the standard reference for postgraduates, academics and practitioners in the fields of evolutionary economics, complexity economics and the economics of innovation.

Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences

Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences PDF Author: David Byrne
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134714742
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 215

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Book Description
Chaos and complexity are the new buzz words in both science and contemporary society. The ideas they represent have enormous implications for the way we understand and engage with the world. Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences introduces students to the central ideas which surround the chaos/complexity theories. It discusses key concepts before using them as a way of investigating the nature of social research. By applying them to such familiar topics as urban studies, education and health, David Byrne allows readers new to the subject to appreciate the contribution which complexity theory can make to social research and to illuminating the crucial social issues of our day.

The Art of the Game

The Art of the Game PDF Author: Stella Z. Theodoulou
Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing Company
ISBN: 9780534529048
Category : Policy sciences
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
THE ART OF THE GAME defines the dynamics of public policy, elucidates the complexity intrinsic to each stage of the policy process, and delves into the implications of public policy for American politics and society. Illustrating concepts and theories relevant to the policy process, the text incorporates contemporary examples with a variety of creative exercises that develop a theoretical and practical understanding of the subject matter. Underscoring this approach is a desire to combine both academic and applied perspectives. This approach helps readers to comprehend the significance of each stage and the dynamics of the policy process. In other words, rather than offering mere description or a standard explanation of the subject matter, THE ART OF THE GAME merges solid coverage of theoretical principles with an applied policy approach.

Handbook on Complexity and Public Policy

Handbook on Complexity and Public Policy PDF Author: Robert Geyer
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1782549528
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 497

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Book Description
'Over recent years Complexity Science has revealed to us new limits to our possible knowledge and control in social, cultural and economic systems. Instead of supposing that past statistics and patterns will give us predictable outcomes for possible actions, we now know the world is, and will always be, creative and surprising. Continuous structural evolution within such systems may change the mechanisms, descriptors, problems and opportunities, often negating policy aims. We therefore need to redevelop our thinking about interventions, policies and policy making, moving perhaps to a humbler, more 'learning' approach. In this Handbook, leading thinkers in multiple domains set out these new ideas and allow us to understand how these new ideas are changing policymaking and policies in this new era.' - Peter M Allen, Cranfield University, UK

Complexity, Science and Society

Complexity, Science and Society PDF Author: Jan Bogg
Publisher: Radcliffe Publishing
ISBN: 184619203X
Category : Complexity (Philosophy)
Languages : en
Pages : 188

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Book Description
Complexity is a new interdisciplinary approach to science and society that challenges traditional academic divisions, frameworks and paradigms. This book helps the expert, student or policy practitioner have a better understanding of the enormous potential of complexity, and how it relates to their particular area of interest or expertise.

The Complexity of Cooperation

The Complexity of Cooperation PDF Author: Robert Axelrod
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400822300
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 247

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Book Description
Robert Axelrod is widely known for his groundbreaking work in game theory and complexity theory. He is a leader in applying computer modeling to social science problems. His book The Evolution of Cooperation has been hailed as a seminal contribution and has been translated into eight languages since its initial publication. The Complexity of Cooperation is a sequel to that landmark book. It collects seven essays, originally published in a broad range of journals, and adds an extensive new introduction to the collection, along with new prefaces to each essay and a useful new appendix of additional resources. Written in Axelrod's acclaimed, accessible style, this collection serves as an introductory text on complexity theory and computer modeling in the social sciences and as an overview of the current state of the art in the field. The articles move beyond the basic paradigm of the Prisoner's Dilemma to study a rich set of issues, including how to cope with errors in perception or implementation, how norms emerge, and how new political actors and regions of shared culture can develop. They use the shared methodology of agent-based modeling, a powerful technique that specifies the rules of interaction between individuals and uses computer simulation to discover emergent properties of the social system. The Complexity of Cooperation is essential reading for all social scientists who are interested in issues of cooperation and complexity.

A Complexity Theory for Public Policy

A Complexity Theory for Public Policy PDF Author: Göktuğ Morçöl
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136283463
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
Complexity theory has become popular in the natural and social sciences over the last few decades as a result of the advancements in our understanding of the complexities in natural and social phenomena. Concepts and methods of complexity theory have been applied by scholars of public affairs in North America and Europe, but a comprehensive framework for these applications is lacking. A Complexity Theory for Public Policy proposes a conceptual synthesis and sets a foundation for future developments and applications. In this book, Göktuğ Morçöl convincingly makes the case that complexity theory can help us understand better the self-organizational, emergent, and co-evolutionary characteristics of complex policy systems. In doing so, he discuss the epistemological implications of complexity theory and the methods complexity researchers use, and those methods they could use. As the complexity studies spread more around the world in the coming decades, the contents of this book will become appealing to larger audiences, particularly to scholars and graduate students in public affairs. The unique combination of synthesis and explanation of concepts and methods found in this book will serve as reference frames for future works.

Handbook of Research Methods in Complexity Science

Handbook of Research Methods in Complexity Science PDF Author: Eve Mitleton-Kelly
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1785364421
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 642

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Book Description
This comprehensive Handbook is aimed at both academic researchers and practitioners in the field of complexity science. The book’s 26 chapters, specially written by leading experts, provide in-depth coverage of research methods based on the sciences of complexity. The research methods presented are illustratively applied to practical cases and are readily accessible to researchers and decision makers alike.