Laporte: Organized Social Complexity Challenge Of Politics & Policy (cloth): Challenge to Politics and Policy (Princeton Legacy Library) - Hardcover

Laporte, T R

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691075697 ISBN 13: 9780691075693

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 1992

Synopsis

One striking feature of modern political and social development has been the construction of social systems encompassing more and more groups. The increase in social complexity, the authors of this volume contend, has reached a point where accepted concepts fail to describe social and political phenomena adequately.

The studies in this book reevaluate traditional assumptions. Part One defines organized social complexity and discusses the effects of technological change. Part Two assesses national planning and systems analysis, approaches supposed to provide direct control over social matters. Part Three describes methodological aspects and research applications, and Part Four provides retrospective and prospective views of theories on social complexity.

Originally published in 1975.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Organized Social Complexity

Challenge to Politics and Policy

By Todd R. La Porte

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS

Copyright © 1975 Princeton University Press
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-691-07569-3

Contents

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES, xi, 
PREFACE, xiii, 
PART ONE Explication of the Concept of Organized Complexity: Studies in Its Effects, 
CHAPTER I Organized Social Complexity: Explication of a Concept by Todd R. La Porte, 3, 
CHAPTER II Complexity and the Limits of Human Understanding by Langdon Winner, 40, 
CHAPTER III Organizational Complexity in the New Industrial State: The Role of Technology by J. Serge Taylor, 77, 
PART TWO Approaches in Policy Analysis and Design, 
CHAPTER IV Complexity, Planning, and Public Order by John Gerard Ruggie, 119, 
CHAPTER V The Use of Systems Constructs in Simplifying Organized Social Complexity by Jay D. Starling, 151, 
PART THREE Methodology: Some Implications for Research, 
CHAPTER VI Analysis of Complex Systems: An Experiment and Its Implications for Policy Making by Garry D. Brewer, 175, 
CHAPTER VII On Studying the Future Behavior of Complex Systems by Daniel Metlay, 220, 
CHAPTER VIII The Sorcerer's Apprentice: A Case-Study of Complexity in Educational Institutions by Jennifer Nias, 256, 
PART FOUR Prospects in the Study of Social Complexity, 
CHAPTER IX Complexity as a Theoretical Problem: Wider Perspectives in Political Theory by Harlan Wilson, 281, 
CHAPTER X Complexity and Uncertainty: Challenge to Action by Todd R. La Porte, 332, 
BIBLIOGRAPHY, 357, 
INDEX, 371, 

CHAPTER 1

Organized Social Complexity: Explication of a Concept

TODD R. LA PORTE

Introduction

One particularly striking aspect of modern political and social development has been the capacity of men to construct social systems encompassing more and more groups. Our lives are bounded by agencies, organizations, combines, coalitions, and associations: networks of hundreds of connected groups and persons. In part this condition has been a self-moving outgrowth of economic and technological progress which has stimulated proliferating organizational and social differentiation. In part men have intentionally linked group to group, organization to organization, nation to nation in efforts to gather specialized and mutually required resources. National development of such resource capacity has been a major driving force of politics and commerce. Indeed, cooperation and mutual exchange provide the foundation of modern life and the consuming attention of public policy concerns. Our national penchant in solving public problems is through policies which increase the connections between groups and which tend toward mutual dependence among public and private organizations.

One consequence of these increases in group connections — both spontaneous and purposive — has been the tightening of organizational dependencies affecting social dynamics and political movements. Another has been a rapid increase in the number of people and agencies affecting the day-to-day experiences of individuals. Closely related to this increase has been one in the number of surprises we encounter. They are generally disturbing surprises, caused by the interruption or frustration of our expectation by some hitherto unrecognized dependency. These surprises we often "account for" with the somewhat bewildered assertion, "It's a complex situation," implying that they are unaccountable. Somehow the unexpected occurs frequently, especially in matters of politics and social and organizational life. Perhaps s

Edition details

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691075697
• ISBN 13: 9780691075693
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 400