Handling Societal Complexity

Download Handling Societal Complexity full books in PDF, epub, and Kindle. Read online Handling Societal Complexity ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. We cannot guarantee that every ebooks is available!

Handling Societal Complexity

Author : Dorien DeTombe
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3662439174
Total Pages : 569 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (624 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Handling Societal Complexity by : Dorien DeTombe

Download or read book Handling Societal Complexity written by Dorien DeTombe and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-02-24 with total page 569 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook for the Methodology of Societal Complexity describes the theoretical development of the field and lays the foundation for the application of the Compram Methodology in the context of addressing complex societal problems. As such, it offers a valuable resource for scientists, practitioners, politicians, master and PhD students in the fields of methodology, the social sciences, operational research, management and political science and for all others who are professionally involved in handling complex societal problems. These problems are the kind that fill the front page of quality newspapers; they have a huge impact on society, involve a variety of phenomena and actors, and are therefore difficult to handle. The structured Compram Methodology provides sound guidelines for handling real-life societal problems democratically, sustainably and transparently. Examples of the use of the Compram Methodology are provided in the domain of global safety with regard to healthcare, economics, climate change, terrorism, large city problems, large technological projects and floods. Complex societal problems must be treated as multi-disciplinary, multi-actor, multi-level and often as multi-continental issues. As such, they call for a multi-disciplinary and multi-actor approach that takes into account the emotional aspects of the problem and the problem handling process, including the micro, meso and macro level, which can be accomplished using the methods, models and tools from the field of the Methodology of Societal Complexity. The Compram Methodology improves the problem handling process and increases the quality of interventions and therefore the quality of life. Handling complex societal problems can reduce conflicts, save money and ultimately even save lives. Dorien J. DeTombe is an internationally recognized expert and founder of the Theory of the Methodology of Societal Complexity and the Compram Methodology.

Complexity

Author : Chris Mowles
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000505685
Total Pages : 201 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (5 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Complexity by : Chris Mowles

Download or read book Complexity written by Chris Mowles and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-11-29 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book interprets insights from the complexity sciences to explore seven types of complexity better to understand the predictable unpredictability of social life. Drawing on the natural and social sciences, it describes how complexity models are helpful but insufficient for our understanding of complex reality. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the book develops a complex theory of action more consistent with our experience that our plans inevitably lead to unexpected outcomes, explains why we are both individuals and thoroughly social, and gives an account of why, no matter how clear our message, we may still be misunderstood. The book investigates what forms of knowledge are most helpful for thinking about complex experience, reflects on the way we exercise authority (leadership) and thinks through the ethical implications of trying to co-operate in a complex world. Taking complexity seriously poses a radical challenge to more orthodox theories of managing and leading, based as they are on assumptions of predictability, control and universality. The author argues that management is an improvisational practice which takes place in groups in a particular context at a particular time. Managers can influence but never control an uncontrollable world. To become more skilful in complex group dynamics involves taking into account multiple points of view and acknowledging not knowing, ambivalence and doubt. This book will be of interest to researchers, professionals, academics and students in the fields of business and management, especially those interested in how taking complexity seriously can influence the functioning of businesses and organizations and how they manage and lead.

Why Society is a Complex Matter

Author : Philip Ball
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3642290000
Total Pages : 71 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (422 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Why Society is a Complex Matter by : Philip Ball

Download or read book Why Society is a Complex Matter written by Philip Ball and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-06-09 with total page 71 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Society is complicated. But this book argues that this does not place it beyond the reach of a science that can help to explain and perhaps even to predict social behaviour. As a system made up of many interacting agents – people, groups, institutions and governments, as well as physical and technological structures such as roads and computer networks – society can be regarded as a complex system. In recent years, scientists have made great progress in understanding how such complex systems operate, ranging from animal populations to earthquakes and weather. These systems show behaviours that cannot be predicted or intuited by focusing on the individual components, but which emerge spontaneously as a consequence of their interactions: they are said to be ‘self-organized’. Attempts to direct or manage such emergent properties generally reveal that ‘top-down’ approaches, which try to dictate a particular outcome, are ineffectual, and that what is needed instead is a ‘bottom-up’ approach that aims to guide self-organization towards desirable states. This book shows how some of these ideas from the science of complexity can be applied to the study and management of social phenomena, including traffic flow, economic markets, opinion formation and the growth and structure of cities. Building on these successes, the book argues that the complex-systems view of the social sciences has now matured sufficiently for it to be possible, desirable and perhaps essential to attempt a grander objective: to integrate these efforts into a unified scheme for studying, understanding and ultimately predicting what happens in the world we have made. Such a scheme would require the mobilization and collaboration of many different research communities, and would allow society and its interactions with the physical environment to be explored through realistic models and large-scale data collection and analysis. It should enable us to find new and effective solutions to major global problems such as conflict, disease, financial instability, environmental despoliation and poverty, while avoiding unintended policy consequences. It could give us the foresight to anticipate and ameliorate crises, and to begin tackling some of the most intractable problems of the twenty-first century.

The Collapse of Complex Societies

Author : Joseph Tainter
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521386739
Total Pages : 268 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (867 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Collapse of Complex Societies by : Joseph Tainter

Download or read book The Collapse of Complex Societies written by Joseph Tainter and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1988 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dr Tainter describes nearly two dozen cases of collapse and reviews more than 2000 years of explanations. He then develops a new and far-reaching theory.

Managing Complexity of Information Systems

Author : Pirmin P. Lemberger
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 111856605X
Total Pages : 168 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (185 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Managing Complexity of Information Systems by : Pirmin P. Lemberger

Download or read book Managing Complexity of Information Systems written by Pirmin P. Lemberger and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-01-09 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about complexity in Information Systems (IS). The subject is addressed from both conceptual and applied perspectives. Concepts are drawn from information theory, industrial design and software engineering. Its content capitalizes on experiences gathered by the authors during various contracting jobs involving software architecture, modeling and IS architecture that were conducted for large organizations in the banking and industry sectors, as well as in the public sector. The authors develop the point of view according to which mastering complexity involves two essential steps: first, one should develop a clear understanding of the real nature of complexity within the IS; second, one should identify the primary causes which contribute to its uncontrolled growth and organize these into a logical framework, in order to define efficient countermeasures. Both technical and psychological causes of complexity are to be considered. Two themes make up the main thread of the book: complexity and value. Both themes are quite common when considered separately, but their interplay remains a largely unexplored topic. The analysis of this interplay is one of the sources of originality of this book.

Complexity Science and World Affairs

Author : Walter C. Clemens Jr.
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 1438449038
Total Pages : 292 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (384 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Complexity Science and World Affairs by : Walter C. Clemens Jr.

Download or read book Complexity Science and World Affairs written by Walter C. Clemens Jr. and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2013-11-18 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why did some countries transition peacefully from communist rule to political freedom and market economies, while others did not? Why did the United States enjoy a brief moment as the sole remaining superpower, and then lose power and influence across the board? What are the prospects for China, the main challenger to American hegemony? In Complexity Science and World Affairs, Walter C. Clemens Jr. demonstrates how the basic concepts of complexity science can broaden and deepen the insights gained by other approaches to the study of world affairs. He argues that societal fitness—the ability of a social system to cope with complex challenges and opportunities—hinges heavily on the values and way of life of each society, and serves to explain why some societies gain and others lose. Applying theory to several rich case studies, including political developments across post–Soviet Eurasia and the United States, Clemens shows that complexity science offers a powerful set of tools for advancing the study of international relations, comparative government, and, more broadly, the social sciences.

Critical Transitions in Nature and Society

Author : Marten Scheffer
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400833272
Total Pages : 398 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Critical Transitions in Nature and Society by : Marten Scheffer

Download or read book Critical Transitions in Nature and Society written by Marten Scheffer and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-11-10 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do we explain the remarkably abrupt changes that sometimes occur in nature and society--and can we predict why and when they happen? This book offers a comprehensive introduction to critical transitions in complex systems--the radical changes that happen at tipping points when thresholds are passed. Marten Scheffer accessibly describes the dynamical systems theory behind critical transitions, covering catastrophe theory, bifurcations, chaos, and more. He gives examples of critical transitions in lakes, oceans, terrestrial ecosystems, climate, evolution, and human societies. And he demonstrates how to deal with these transitions, offering practical guidance on how to predict tipping points, how to prevent "bad" transitions, and how to promote critical transitions that work for us and not against us. Scheffer shows the time is ripe for understanding and managing critical transitions in the vast and complex systems in which we live. This book can also serve as a textbook and includes a detailed appendix with equations. Provides an accessible introduction to dynamical systems theory Covers critical transitions in lakes, oceans, terrestrial ecosystems, the climate, evolution, and human societies Explains how to predict tipping points Offers strategies for preventing "bad" transitions and triggering "good" ones Features an appendix with equations

Social Complexity and Complex Systems in Archaeology

Author : Dries Daems
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000344738
Total Pages : 228 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (3 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Social Complexity and Complex Systems in Archaeology by : Dries Daems

Download or read book Social Complexity and Complex Systems in Archaeology written by Dries Daems and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-02-22 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social Complexity and Complex Systems in Archaeology turns to complex systems thinking in search of a suitable framework to explore social complexity in Archaeology. Social complexity in archaeology is commonly related to properties of complex societies such as states, as opposed to so-called simple societies such as tribes or chiefdoms. These conceptualisations of complexity are ultimately rooted in Eurocentric perspectives with problematic implications for the field of archaeology. This book provides an in-depth conceptualisation of social complexity as the core concept in archaeological and interdisciplinary studies of the past, integrating approaches from complex systems thinking, archaeological theory, social practice theory, and sustainability and resilience science. The book covers a long-term perspective of social change and stability, tracing the full cycle of complexity trajectories, from emergence and development to collapse, regeneration and transformation of communities and societies. It offers a broad vision on social complexity as a core concept for the present and future development of archaeology. This book is intended to be a valuable resource for students and scholars in the field of archaeology and related disciplines such as history, anthropology, sociology, as well as the natural sciences studying human-environment interactions in the past.

Complexity and the Art of Public Policy

Author : David Colander
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691169136
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Complexity and the Art of Public Policy by : David Colander

Download or read book Complexity and the Art of Public Policy written by David Colander and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2016-02-16 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Thinking in Complexity

Author : Klaus Mainzer
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3662030144
Total Pages : 329 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (62 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Thinking in Complexity by : Klaus Mainzer

Download or read book Thinking in Complexity written by Klaus Mainzer and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-11 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Complexity and nonlinearity are prominent features in the evolution of matter, life, and human society. Even our mind seems to be governed by the nonlinear dynamics of the complex networks in our brain. This book considers complex systems in the physical and biological sciences, cognitive and computer sciences, social and economic sciences, and philosophy and history of science. An in terdisciplinary methodology is introduced to explain the emergence of order in nature and mind and in the econ omy and society by common principles. These methods are sometimes said to foreshadow the new sciences of complexity characterizing the scientific deve10pment of the 21 st century. The book critically an alyzes the successes and limits of this approach, its sys tematic foundations, and its historical and philosophical background. An epilogue discusses new standards of eth ical behavior which are demanded by the complex prob lems of nature and mind, economy and society.

Sociocybernetics

Author : Rudolf F. Geyer
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 0313074275
Total Pages : 261 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (13 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Sociocybernetics by : Rudolf F. Geyer

Download or read book Sociocybernetics written by Rudolf F. Geyer and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2001-01-30 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In an effort to shed light on recent developments in sociocybernetic research, this volume represents recent and advanced thinking in this rapidly developing field. The authors address the core problems in social science caused by increasing societal complexity and analyze the inadequacy of many of the methodological tools still used for grappling with nonlinear, self-organizing systems. Together, the 18 contributors propose elements of a new methodology based on sociocybernetic principles aimed at describing and explaining the growth of societal complexity, the contribution of autopoiesis of societal subunits to more societal complexity, and the new simulation-based methodology needed to observe complex social systems. This unique volume contributes to a greater understanding of sociocybernetics and its uses as a method for researching modern problems of increasing complexity and interdependence. The first part of the book deals with increasing societal complexity and contains chapters on its overall development, the complexity of brain-environment interaction loops, organizational change, the development of human values, and the increasing interpenetration of societal subsystems. The second part concentrates on a current issue in sociocybernetics: autopoiesis, or self-production. The chapters included in Part II concentrate on embodied cognition, on the applicability of autopoiesis to business firms, on its roots in Aristotelian philosophy, and on the possibility of societal control and steering in democratic societies. Part III, more focused on methodology, discusses the difficulties inherent in observing complex social systems. The chapters deal with the problems of cross-cultural comparative research, simulation of the evolution of social systems, longitudinal simulation of education systems, and the methodological difficulties associated with analyzing the unexpected complexities of mutually interacting nonlinear systems.

The Social Labs Revolution

Author : Zaid Hassan
Publisher : Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1626560757
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (265 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis The Social Labs Revolution by : Zaid Hassan

Download or read book The Social Labs Revolution written by Zaid Hassan and published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers. This book was released on 2014-02-03 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Current responses to our most pressing societal challenges—from poverty to ethnic conflict to climate change—are not working. These problems are incredibly dynamic and complex, involving an ever-shifting array of factors, actors, and circumstances. They demand a highly fluid and adaptive approach, yet we address them by devising fixed, long-term plans. Social labs, says Zaid Hassan, are a dramatically more effective response. Social labs bring together a diverse a group of stakeholders—not to create yet another five-year plan but to develop a portfolio of prototype solutions, test those solutions in the real world, use the data to further refine them, and test them again. Hassan builds on a decade of experience—as well as drawing from cutting-edge research in complexity science, networking theory, and sociology—to explain the core principles and daily functioning of social labs, using examples of pioneering labs from around the world. He offers a new generation of problem solvers an effective, practical, and exciting new vision and guide.

Societal Complexity

Author : Jeffrey Friedman
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780415712965
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (129 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Societal Complexity by : Jeffrey Friedman

Download or read book Societal Complexity written by Jeffrey Friedman and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this collection, scholars of international relations, law, network analysis, political philosophy, and political science examine questions of societal complexity, the difficulties and problems of predicting the effects of our actions given the complexity of the modern world. This book was originally published as a special issue of Critical Review: A Journal of Politics and Society.

Complexity, Society and Social Transactions

Author : Thomas B. Whalen
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351717766
Total Pages : 296 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (517 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Complexity, Society and Social Transactions by : Thomas B. Whalen

Download or read book Complexity, Society and Social Transactions written by Thomas B. Whalen and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-27 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book develops and presents a general social theory explaining social, cultural and economic ontology and, as a by-product, the ontology of other social institutions and structures. This theory is called social transaction theory. Using the framework of the complex adaptive systems model, this transdisciplinary social theory proposes that society, culture and economy are emergent from social and environmental transaction and negotiation. Each transaction contains an element of negotiation. With each transaction, there is continual renegotiation, however small or large. Even if the result is no change, renegotiation takes place. Thus, there is a constant emergence of social constructions and a continuous reconstruction of society in the ‘specious present.’ Practices, beliefs, explanations, and traditions become part of the accepted canon of a group through continual social transaction. Deviations from canon and expected outcomes are managed through narrative. Narrative can be either rejected or accepted into the social canon of a group or society. This social theory applied Bhaskar’s critical realism to refine the several theoretical works that were utilized. These include complex adaptive systems, Mead’s social theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Strauss’s negotiated order theory, game theory, Bruner’s narrative and folk psychology, Giddens's structuration theory and Ricoeur’s interpretation theory. A transdisciplinary account of the emergence of society and culture and the role of narrative, Complexity, Society and Social Transactions will appeal to scholars and practitioners of social theory and sociology.

Defining Complex Interdisciplinary Societal Problems

Author : Dorien J. DeTombe
Publisher : Thesis Publishers
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 460 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Defining Complex Interdisciplinary Societal Problems by : Dorien J. DeTombe

Download or read book Defining Complex Interdisciplinary Societal Problems written by Dorien J. DeTombe and published by Thesis Publishers. This book was released on 1994 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Complex interdisciplinary societal problems include problems such as the fast growth of metropolitan cities in the developing countries, global environmental problems, the AIDS problem, but also problems of the transport of goods and persons, and the communication of data. In all these cases, knowledge and data are often missing, and there is uncertainty as to how the problem is going to develop. In addition, there are often many people and organizations involved. many of these problems are either ill or undefined. Before interventions can be suggested, the problem needs to be defined. This study is a fundamental theoretical approach towards a method for defining these problems: the COMPRAM method. COMPRAM stands for complex problem analyzing method. The method is based on the theory of complex interdisciplinary societal problems, systems theory, and chaos theory. The method supports a co-operative multi- disciplinary team that analyzes the problem. The analysis is assisted by a facilitator. Working on the basis of the theories cited above, the communication among the multi-disciplinary team is supported by a seven layer computer model in which the main phenomena involved in the problem are expresses in different midels, from a verbal description to a system dynamic computer model.

System Effects

Author : Robert Jervis
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400822408
Total Pages : 328 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis System Effects by : Robert Jervis

Download or read book System Effects written by Robert Jervis and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 1998-12-28 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on more than three decades of observation, Robert Jervis concludes in this provocative book that the very foundations of many social science theories--especially those in political science--are faulty. Taking insights from complexity theory as his point of departure, the author observes that we live in a world where things are interconnected, where unintended consequences of our actions are unavoidable and unpredictable, and where the total effect of behavior is not equal to the sum of individual actions. Jervis draws on a wide range of human endeavors to illustrate the nature of these system effects. He shows how increasing airport security might actually cost lives, not save them, and how removing dead trees (ostensibly to give living trees more room) may damage the health of an entire forest. Similarly, he highlights the interconnectedness of the political world as he describes how the Cold War played out and as he narrates the series of events--with their unintended consequences--that escalated into World War I. The ramifications of developing a rigorous understanding of politics are immense, as Jervis demonstrates in his critique of current systemic theories of international politics--especially the influential work done by Kenneth Waltz. Jervis goes on to examine various types of negative and positive feedback, bargaining in different types of relationships, and the polarizing effects of alignments to begin building a foundation for a more realistic, more nuanced, theory of international politics. System Effects concludes by examining what it means to act in a system. It shows how political actors might modify their behavior in anticipation of system effects, and it explores how systemic theories of political behavior might account for the role of anticipation and strategy in political action. This work introduces powerful new concepts that will reward not only international relations theorists, but also all social scientists with interests in comparative politics and political theory.

Complexity, Institutions and Public Policy

Author : Graham Room
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 : 0857932640
Total Pages : 393 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (579 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Book Synopsis Complexity, Institutions and Public Policy by : Graham Room

Download or read book Complexity, Institutions and Public Policy written by Graham Room and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2011 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I think this is a very important book. Very few people in the social sciences write books on this topic and really do justice to complexity theory. Professor Room gives a very detailed, accurate and accessible review of complexity theory as it applies to social policy. His link with institutional theory is very appropriate and his discussion on the need for regulation (a link with complexity theory that many people would never reach) is really important and well grounded. It would be of interest to academics who really want to understand the implications of complexity theory for policy making in complex and fast-changing situations and to those undertaking advanced courses in politics, economics and sociology. - Jean Boulton, University of Cranfield, UK Graham Room argues that conventional approaches to the conceptualisation and measurement of social and economic change are unsatisfactory. As a result, researchers are ill-equipped to offer policy advice. This book offers a new analytical approach, combining complexity science and institutionalism. It also provides tools for policy makers in turbulent times. Part 1 is concerned with the conceptualisation of socio-economic change. It integrates complexity science and institutionalism into a coherent ontology of social and policy dynamics. Part 2 is concerned with models and measurement. It combines some of the principal approaches developed in complexity analysis with models and methods drawn from mainstream social and political science. Part 3 offers empirical applications to public policy: the dynamics of social exclusion; the social dimension of knowledge economies; the current financial and economic crisis. These are supplemented by a toolkit for the practice of agile policy making.