COMPLEXITY AND THE ART OF 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, picturing society as a complex evolving system that is uncontrollable, but which can be influenced. Colander and Kupers develop innovative bottom-up solutions that channel individuals' social instincts into solving societal problems, making profits a tool for change rather than a goal. They argue that within this complexity framework, a central role for government is to foster an ecostructure within which diverse forms of social entrepreneurship can emerge and blossom.

David Colander is College Professor in the Department of Economics at Middlebury College.
Roland Kupers is an associate fellow in the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford.