Governing Complex Systems: Social Capital for the Anthropocene (Earth System Governance)

Young, Oran R.

ISBN 10: 0262533847 / ISBN 13: 9780262533843

Published by The MIT Press, 2017

About this Item

Very Good Condition - May show some limited signs of wear and may have a remainder mark. Pages and dust cover are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting.

Seller Inventory # mon0000011792

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Governing Complex Systems: Social Capital for the Anthropocene (Earth System Governance)
• Publisher: The MIT Press
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262533847
• ISBN 13: 9780262533843
• Binding: paperback
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

An exploration of the need for innovative mechanisms of governance in an era when human actions are major drivers of environmental change.

The onset of the Anthropocene, an era in which human actions have become major drivers of change on a planetary scale, has increased the complexity of socioecological systems. Complex systems pose novel challenges for governance because of their high levels of connectivity, nonlinear dynamics, directional patterns of change, and emergent properties. Meeting these challenges will require the development of new intellectual capital. In this book, Oran Young argues that to achieve sustainable outcomes in a world of complex systems, we will need governance systems that are simultaneously durable enough to be effective in guiding behavior and agile enough to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances. 

While some insights from past research on governance remain valid in this setting, Young argues that we need new social capital to supplement mainstream regulatory approaches that feature rule making with an emphasis on compliance and enforcement. He explores the uses of goal setting as a governance strategy, the idea of principled governance, and the role of what is often called good governance in meeting the challenges of the Anthropocene. Drawing on his long experience operating on the science/policy frontier, Young calls for more effective collaboration between analysts and practitioners in creating and implementing governance systems capable of producing sustainable outcomes in a world of complex systems.

About the Author

Oran R. Young is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of Institutional Dynamics: Emergent Patterns in International Environmental Governance (MIT Press) and other books.