Complexity and public policy : a new approach to twenty-first century politics, policy and society /
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| Author / Creator: | Geyer, Robert. |
|---|---|
| Imprint: | London ; New York : Routledge, 2010. |
| Description: | xiii, 215 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. |
| Language: | English |
| Subject: | |
| Format: | Print Book |
| URL for this record: | http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/8123984 |
Table of Contents:
- List of figures
- List of tables
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- The Problem of order: three symbolic cases - Nicolas, Emile and Leila
- From the pursuit of order to the paradigm of complexity
- Three brief points and a note on definitions
- The plan of the book
- 1. From orderly to complexity science
- The paradigm of order
- Spreading ripples of doubt
- Complex systems in the physical world
- Complex systems in the biotic world
- Orderly (modernist) social science and public policy
- Disorderly (post-modernist) social science and public policy
- Complexity and social science
- Complexity and public policy
- 2. Concepts of complexity
- Key concepts of physical complex systems
- Key concepts of biotic complex systems
- Key concepts of conscious complex systems
- 3. Tools of complexity
- Cascade of complexity
- Balance and range of outcomes
- Complexity mapping
- Fitness landscape
- A different point of view: the fitness landscape
- The Stacey diagram
- Stakeholder involvement and soft systems methodology
- 4. Politics
- What would a 'complexity map' of politics look like?
- Complexity and democracy
- What would a complexity theory of democracy look like?
- Fundamental regularities and threats
- Complexity and the 'third way'
- How does complexity differ from and go beyond the third way?
- Complexity, politics and the third sector
- Is the EU compatible with the third sector?
- Using the 'balance and range of outcomes' tool to help the EU promote the third sector
- Conclusion
- 5. Health
- The influence of the paradigm of order on health
- Better health at a fraction of the cost - focusing on the basics
- An efficient national health system: the Cuban case
- Is Cuba's experience unique and what is the magic formula?
- The case of the English national health service
- Complexity and chronic illness: the case of diabetes
- Understanding chronic illness - from order to complexity
- Using a fitness landscape to improve diabetes management
- A different point of view: the fitness landscape
- Bringing it all together
- 6. The international arena
- International relations theory
- European integration theory
- Integrating complexity
- Applying a complexity map to the international arena and European Union
- General implications
- Globalisation, Europeanisation and the curious case of the non-death of Scandinavian exceptionalism
- Implications
- Another example: the predictable proposal for a true capital of Europe
- Using a complexity cascade to visualise the development of the EU, Scandinavia and Brussels
- Conclusion
- 7. Development
- The case for radical change in development practice
- Lopsided view of the way nations evolve
- Why to the successful succeed? Self-organised complexity
- Why do the unsuccessful stagnate?
- A more realistic vision of development
- From x-y to fitness landscape thinking
- Why changing the framework of development is so slow
- Concluding remarks: from hard to soft management
- 8. Planning dreams into nightmares: The Iraq adventure
- The predictability of failure
- Doubts were ignored
- Was it just state incompetence and/or lack or preparation?
- Massive costs and negligible benefits
- The underlying questions
- Where did the complexity come from?
- Three acts of orderly reasonableness, but complexity madness
- Could others have done better? The Stacey diagram
- 9. Exploding the myths of terrorism
- Myth 1. There is a clear and agreed definition of terror, terrorism and terrorist
- Myth 2. September 11 was a tragedy and not a political opportunity
- Myth 3. One can reduce the elements of a complex international system into separate and manageable units
- Myth 4. The 'war on terror' is a global affair
- Myth 5. Global and regional powers are simply reacting to terrorism
- Myth 6. The 'war on terror' is being won
- Myth 7. Current terrorism is a new type of terrorism
- Myth 8. The scale of terrorism has radically increased
- Myth 9. Middle eastern and Islamic terrorism is a new and major threat
- Myth 10. Al-Qaeda is new as well
- Beyond the myths: what does complexity tell us?
- A complexity map of international terrorism and its implications
- 10. Conclusion: Towards a complex and humane public policy for the twenty-first century
- Isn't complexity just a recipe for doing nothing?
- Is there a morality of complexity?
- What can complexity do for the weak?
- Why has complexity been so slow to spill over into the social sciences and public policy?
- Can complexity be inspirational?
- How do we go forward from here?
- And finally ... a couple of playful mental exercises
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
