Social system

This book explores how to manage complexity in a highly interconnected world. How can complexity be managed when it cannot be reduced? From organizational addiction to market failure, from limits to growth to the rebound effect, from tragedy of the commons to path dependence, answers are anything but trivial, and can only be found by combining insights from complexity science, system dynamics, system theory and systems thinking.

This report explains the ecology and social profile of coastal systems in Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania in order to contribute to the development of effective strategies to enhance the resilience of marine and coastal systems in the Western Indian Ocean. Special consideration is given to the effects and consequences of climate change and economic development.

In the effort towards sustainability, it has become increasingly important to develop conceptual frames to understand the dynamics of social and ecological systems. Drawing on complex systems theory, this book investigates how human societies deal with change in linked social-ecological systems, and build capacity to adapt to change. The concept of resilience is central in this context.

This paper argues that, although safety net programmes have had some notable successes, they are not the answer to the social impacts of adjustment, and should not serve to deflect efforts to refine adjustment programmes so that their social costs are better contained.