Journal on Policy & Complex Systems Vol. 2, Issue 2, Fall 2015 | Page 5

Journal on Policy and Complex Systems
specific ways , the glue that holds the components together and allows for that organization becomes fundamental to the system itself . Emergent phenomena built with self-management activities have more mass than their components considered separately .” Abbott analogizes type creation in programming languages to these mechanisms . But he goes further by stating that “ public policies famously have unintended consequences .” He explains “ why such phenomena — and in fact why reactions to many policy-based changes to our living and working environment — should be considered a form of emergence .” Thus , this paper aims to enhance our understanding of the concept of complex systems .
Andrea Jones-Rooy concludes this issue by looking at another property of complex systems — adaptability — as “ a central component of both individual and group success in a complex adaptive system , as well as a major part of policy design and implementation .” Jones-Rooy posits that “ adaptability is often narrowly conceived and applied post hoc . In addition , we lack a general framework for understanding the circumstances under which it is desirable a priori .” She proposes “ behavioral flexibility as a useful conceptualization , operationalization , and measure of adaptability .” Jones-Rooy presents “ an agent-based model that employs behavioral flexibility to evaluate the utility of adaptability to both individuals and groups in a turbulent environment .”
Overall , this issue of the Journal on Policy and Complex Systems provides an interesting mix of theoretical and practical considerations of complex systems in the context of policy-relevant societal challenges .
Mirsad Hadžikadić , Editor
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