The text discusses the concept of circularity and paradox in natural systems, cognition, and forms. It explores how operational closure generates new domains, such as in cellular autonomy and cognitive processes. The text emphasizes the interconnectedness of subject and object in understanding reality and the limitations of traditional notions of objectivity.

The text discusses how complex social systems can be understood through an interaction loop model. The author emphasizes the importance of maintaining and rebuilding these loops to strengthen communities and individuals. By applying systems thinking and assessing interaction loop integrity, we can design more resilient and responsive social systems.

Emergence is about collective behaviors in complex systems not seen in individual parts. Examples include birds flocking and the Big Bang. Scientists are focusing on emergence as a unifying theme for science. Understanding emergent behavior requires studying collective properties of a system. Recent progress in studying emergence is improving our understanding of complex systems.

See URL for lengthy abstract

Dave Snowden discusses the “forest cycle,” which describes the progression from chaos to stability and back to chaos in ecological systems. He critiques the idea that collapse is necessary for new growth, arguing that this perspective is dangerous and overly simplistic. Snowden believes there are better approaches, like using the Cynefin framework to create stability without total destruction. He warns that relying on chaos can lead to negative outcomes, including tyranny. Ultimately, he advocates for a more controlled and resilient approach to avoid catastrophic failure.

To build regenerative communities, we must learn from the natural world and address embedded inequities in our societies. Soil health and societal paradigms play a role in shaping our identities and social systems. By practicing soil keeping principles, we can nourish radical imagination, promote justice, and foster transformative change in ourselves and our communities.

One of the key features of today’s global economy is an ‘offshore world’ of financial structures, institutions and techniques designed to provide secrecy, asset protection and tax exemption. While its worldwide impact is very significant, Africa is affected to an unusual extent by the strategies of tax avoidance/evasion, outward financial flows (both legal and illegal) and corruption enabled by the offshore world. This is corroborated by a number of quantitative studies of capital flight as well as by influential investigations such as the Pandora Papers, Panama Papers and Luanda Leaks. The offshore world’s limited presence in the study of contemporary African politics, political economy and international relations is therefore striking. The purpose of this exploratory paper is to highlight this gap, provide a preliminary analysis, and suggest that the politics of African insertion in the global offshore economy merits more attention from scholars of African politics.

The text discusses the concept of Yin & Yang and the importance of balancing seemingly opposing tendencies for positive outcomes. It emphasizes the benefits of embracing diversity and unity, abundance and scarcity, and structure and flow in decision-making and problem-solving. By utilizing the Yin & Yang inverse thinking framework, individuals can leverage contrasting ideas to achieve harmony and creativity in their endeavors.

The author reflects on a long discussion with Jean Boulton about complexity. They recall their connections with various thinkers in the UK and US Complexity Groups. The author critiques Boulton’s book but acknowledges its valuable chapters. They emphasize the importance of understanding abstraction and agency in human evolution. The author suggests a shift in perspective from Enlightenment thinking to a Renaissance approach.

The Ecological Organisations Framework is about reimagining organizations as interconnected ecosystems responsible for planetary and social well-being. It emphasizes deep listening to all voices, shifting from profit to alignment-based goals, and viewing organizations as living systems to steward. The framework encourages diversity and continuous evolution, aiming to be a foundational layer for new ways of organizational thinking. It is shared under a Creative Commons license, allowing for adaptation and sharing for noncommercial purposes. To learn more and download the framework, visit the author’s website.

One key question driving innovations in corruption studies is how anticorruption reforms can be more impactful and sustainable. This is critical to understand due to the detrimental impact of corrupt practices on equality, human rights, peace, and the rule of law. A significant body of research has shown that many anticorruption initiatives do not produce the expected effect, or they achieve results that fade after the intervention ceases. Seeking to understand how to improve anticorruption outcomes, scholars have turned to causal explanations of the persistence of corruption ranging from institutional settings and individual motives to informal practices and social norms. This article explores the intersection of social norms and corruption as a contribution to improving anticorruption programming. It explains how norms impact our conceptual understanding of corruption and the vicious cycle that exists between corrupt practices and norms. Grounded in the belief that programming and social norm diagnosis need to be contextually driven, we lay out the nascent research on changing social norms that drive corruption and the consequences of ignoring them.

Includes a wealth of rich and reflective chapters around five main themes. These include: the use of theories of change in broader public policy contexts; using theories of change to establish causality; developing theories of change reflective of multiple stakeholder perspectives; using theories of change to understand wider societal change processes; and applying theories of change approaches for multiple purposes.

Power to the people presents a radical manifesto for change designed to inspire citizen action around the world. The book presents a blueprint for how we, as individuals, can make a difference through greater community engagement, and how we can deliver a society that works for the many and not the few. The book speaks to voter apathy and a growing sense that elections no longer matter, with politicians and institutions too focused on short-term issues to grapple with complex global problems such as climate change, rising inequality, and digital disruption.

Yet the book is also filled with inspiring real-life examples of citizen power in action, ranging from a volunteer-run repair café in Danny’s local suburb to Avaaz’s successful campaigns to tackle endemic corruption in Brazil. From public ownership of social media spaces to democratising share ownership, and from re-energising co-operatives to creating a people’s chamber at the United Nations, this campaigning book has a clear mission to make us reclaim our power as citizens of the world.

Evaluation has a long history of using experimental and quasi-experimental designs to measure the effects of programs and strategies, and through this, to infer causality. Yet, these approaches are often not appropriate when evaluating change in complex, dynamic systems. Further, programs and strategies that seek to produce change in complex settings are increasingly common. This leads to an evaluation dilemma: if and how do evaluators attend to causality amid complexity? Too often, the answer has been to use causal thinking in the design of the evaluation and interpretation of findings, but not incorporate causal analysis and inference. In practice, this allows for assumptions about how change happens to go unchallenged. In this chapter, we explore the use of causal analysis through methods designed to attend to complexity and context, strengthened by participatory implementation, that can be implemented with rigor.

A recent review paper suggests changing the environment to make desirable behaviors easier. The paper recommends focusing on environmental interventions rather than targeting individual beliefs or knowledge. This approach aims to promote effective behavior change by altering the context in which people operate.

Jazz can offer insights into leadership by balancing structure and freedom. Different leadership styles in music, such as the orchestra conductor or big-band leader, can provide valuable lessons. In jazz, everyone has a role to support the group, whether soloing or playing a supporting role.

The text discusses exploring connections between ideas related to transforming economies and societies through collaboration between two organizations. It emphasizes the importance of connecting visionary and implementable ideas to drive transformation and highlights the need for clear communication and understanding when collaborating on ideas. The authors plan to publish ‘Joining the Dots’ publications to explore similarities and differences between ideas for moving forward with transformative practices.

Practitioners are exploring new M&E methods to navigate complexity. Themes include decolonizing knowledge, shifting power, and building trusting relationships. Speakers emphasized valuing diverse perspectives, empowering communities, and practicing reflective evaluation.

Laos’s wetlands face threats from climate change and unsustainable development, affecting local communities that rely on them. The Asia Foundation has supported communities in setting up participatory wetland management, leading to improvements in water levels and fish stocks. Understanding and working with informal institutions has been key to the success of wetland management in Laos.

The text discusses the importance of recognizing and creating patterns in landscapes and social structures for understanding and navigating our environment effectively. It emphasizes the value of pattern-based visualizations over lists of numbers for enhancing human understanding and sense-making. The author highlights the significance of engaging in both identifying existing patterns and actively creating new patterns to improve decision-making and insight.

Strategic philanthropy is still relevant despite recent criticism. Some argue for a shift to “empowerment philanthropy” focused on giving agency to solve societal problems. However, examples show how strategic philanthropy has successfully addressed critical issues like global health and poverty. It is important to recognize the complementary role philanthropy plays alongside government efforts. Successful philanthropy involves building relationships, gathering feedback, learning from failures, and aligning goals with grantees.

Curiosity is essential for human sense-making when anomalies are present in patterns. Encouraging people to notice anomalies triggers curiosity and fosters different perspectives. Serendipity and exploring without purpose can lead to unexpected discoveries. Reading broadly can spark innovation and fresh thinking. Embracing diversity in backgrounds is crucial for fostering innovation in organizations.

The Griffith Centre for Systems Innovation (GCSI) studies how governance can enhance collective action within complex organizations. They focus on intermediary organizations that unite diverse groups to achieve shared goals. GCSI suggests that effective governance acts as both the “glue” and the “compass” for these initiatives. Their research includes developing a typology to understand different types of intermediaries that support systemic change. Ultimately, they emphasize that intentional governance structures are crucial for driving transformational agendas.