Complex Governance Systems Research Articles

EU Governance of Governance: Political Steering in a Non-Hierarchical Multilevel System

This article analyses 65 years of European governance as a process that has evolved from a simple model, based on hierarchical means of political steering, to a complex system of governance, using both hierarchical and non-hierarchical governance modes and combining them in innovative ways. The central thesis is that European governance constitutes a system of governance of governance, aimed at shaping and directing the governance of the member states. The article elaborates a conceptual framework by drawing on Kooiman's concept of three orders of governance. It identifies European governance as predominantly second order governance, focussing on the creation of appropriate procedures and institutional settings that structure governance processes. Empirically, the article provides an overview of the emergence and consolidation of a system of governance of governance in four phases. Furthermore, it analyses the creation of appropriate procedures and institutional arrangements in three selected policy areas. It thus highlights how second order governance is incrementally shaped. The article concludes that the evolving system of governance of governance reflects the multilevel structure of the EU and the need to balance permanently the contradictory policy objectives, governance modes and implementation strategies of the European and the national government levels, as well as the divergences among the member states.

Complex system governance development: a first generation methodology

This paper explores a development approach and deployment related issues for complex system governance (CSG). CSG has been emerging as a field focused on performance of functions necessary to maintain viability (existence) of a complex system. However, although a reference model has been developed for CSG, there has not been a corresponding methodology developed to guide application. As a first examination of a CSG development methodology, this paper is focused on two primary objectives. First, a three staged approach to CSG development is suggested. This approach includes initialisation, readiness assessment, and development as the three primary stages of a CSG development methodology. However, to engage in CSG development there are several issues that must be considered. Thus, the second objective is to examine a set of CSG development issues and their potential impact on the CSG development methodology as well as its effectiveness. The influence of these issues on design, execution, and the ultimate evolution of CSG is explored with emphasis on implications for the next generation development of the methodology. The paper concludes with articulation of benefits and a path forward for continued elaboration of the first generation CSG development methodology.

Systems thinking capacity: implications and challenges for complex system governance development

This paper explores systems thinking in relationship to complex system governance (CSG) development. The capacity to engage in systems thinking is considered to be a cornerstone to advancing CSG. Our current exploration is focused on three primary objectives. First, an introduction is provided to place systems thinking within the larger context of CSG development. The concept of systems thinking capacity is advanced as an enabler for CSG development effectiveness. Second, we articulate the foundations of systems thinking by presenting multiple viewpoints of systems thinking and synthesise a set of common themes, explore distinctions between 'hard' and 'soft' systems thinking, and provide a set of characteristics that define a range of individual capacity to engage in systems thinking. Third, we explore the contributions that systems thinking make to CSG development. Emphasis is placed on identification of developmental areas that enhance practitioner capabilities for engaging CSG. The paper concludes by examining the challenges for deployment of systems thinking as a critical element of CSG development. This examination identifies considerations for practitioners deploying systems thinking in support of CSG development.

Complex system governance: moving diverse theory to practice

This paper presents a scholarly development of a system-based approach for analysing governance in complex systems. The primary purpose is to point out the present lack of understanding of governance in complex systems. The main contribution is a set of systems-based ideas representing governance that will continue to remain relevant in spite of emergent problems and increased complexity. This paper discusses some of the promising explanatory and normative conceptual notions of 'governance' and argues for a set of criteria by which these various accounts can be evaluated. Each of these broad categories is presented after which they will be used as a basis to constructively evaluate existing governance theories, models and frameworks. Finally, the paper hints on a systemically developed 'governance' paradigm that is internally aligned with the earlier mentioned criteria aimed to assist in developing a wider and more consistent 'governance' research agenda.

Leadership issues in governance of complex systems

Complex systems are characterised by many autonomous and diverse interrelated components, tightly coupled through many interconnections; irreducible; exhibiting emergence; as well as being inseparable from their environment and context. These characteristics also describe modern enterprises whose landscapes are fraught with difficulties stemming from excess complexity, emergence, and uncertainty. System control and guidance are provided by metasystems, which are the sets of interrelated functions that govern the systems or enterprises. Governance provides control, communications, integration and coordination functions for a complex system, and includes the establishment and execution of policies and procedures that help ensure viability of the system. In this article, the role of leadership in establishing and ensuring execution of complex systems governance functions will be explored from a systems theory perspective.

Enterprise architecture view of complex system governance

Enterprises are participating in more complex system-of-systems contexts in order to meet increasing customer demands that require them to share environments and collaborate with multiple other enterprises. Enterprise architecture traditionally presents detailed system architectural views, where their use benefits system designers and developers, and focuses on the value of employing system technical characterisations and utilisations. This paper explores the concept of governance architecture and associated characteristics needed to meet challenges in governing complex systems. Grounded in the viable systems model, we present a set of initial implications for complex system governance concerning the relationship between the metasystem and governed system(s). It is expected these implications will shape a governance architecture framework as a next step.

Understanding system structural tensions to support complex system governance development methodology

Tensions arise from the structure of complex systems along the interrelated viability dimensions of control, change, and design. Unique system properties and performance emerge from system structure, that is, from the constitute functions and interrelationships comprising the complex system. Tensions are balanced in well-performing complex systems, but are potentially unbalanced when system performance is not meeting expectations, and implies that deficiencies exist in the underlying system structure. Systems theory propositions and management cybernetic principles provide a foundation to support the construct of system tensions and their evaluation. An understanding of system tensions can support the emerging paradigm of complex system governance and associated complex system governance development methodology through advancing of approaches that identify and quantify the potential degree of tension imbalance. Such approaches could provide systems practitioners with new ways to evaluate the cause of inadequate performance in complex systems in terms of inadequacies in underlying system structure and related system pathologies.

Models and Mechanisms for the Management of ICT-Technoparks

The paper shows that the innovative development of economy requires improvement and systematization of management processes. And innovation is activated using modern forms of organization, application and commercialization of high technology through integration of science, education, manufacturing, business and government. These processes are jointly carried out by innovative structures. In this regard, the paper describes the control features of ICT-technoparks, which have interacting structural elements. The paper specifies imperfection of the current control systems of innovative organizations. Therefore, different approaches are given to the definition of the management content. It is proved that the problem of increasing the efficiency of the management process requires the development of complex control system of ICT-technoparks. The paper specifies the basic management levels of ICT-technoparks, and presents its tasks and functions, as well as the main activities of executive management of ICT-technoparks. The paper describes the basic model and business management model. Depending on the time factor, the strategic and tactical control aspects of ICT-technoparks are analyzed. As the management of ICT-technoparks is viewed as a complex socio-economic system, the public and collegial governance mechanisms are proposed. It is proposed to develop a control system of ICT-technoparks and an appropriate control mechanisms. These mechanisms take into account the key moments in the development process of innovative control system of ICT-technoparks.

Governance in systems of systems: a systems-based model

Many concepts associated with governance and governance systems fall short in their capacity to influence or 'steer' towards intended ideals, goals or desired outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to propose a model for complex governance systems that provides an alternative viewpoint based on systems theoretic principles. This effort supports a system-of-systems (SoS) governance concept that examines: 1) a governed system - the target of governance structure and activities; 2) a governing system - the direct controller that provides regulatory capacity of the governed system; 3) a meta-governance system - a metasystem that strategically influences the 'governing' system directly and the 'governed' system indirectly; 4) the contextual environment - as anything external to the articulated SoS boundary. The main contribution of this paper is a set of systems-based concepts representing governance that will enhance the dialog and foster better understanding the governance construct as well as the associated phenomena for design, development, and performance of governance for complex systems of systems.

Personalized medicine beyond genomics: alternative futures in big data-proteomics, environtome and the social proteome.

No field in science and medicine today remains untouched by Big Data, and psychiatry is no exception. Proteomics is a Big Data technology and a next generation biomarker, supporting novel system diagnostics and therapeutics in psychiatry. Proteomics technology is, in fact, much older than genomics and dates to the 1970s, well before the launch of the international Human Genome Project. While the genome has long been framed as the master or "elite" executive molecule in cell biology, the proteome by contrast is humble. Yet the proteome is critical for life-it ensures the daily functioning of cells and whole organisms. In short, proteins are the blue-collar workers of biology, the down-to-earth molecules that we cannot live without. Since 2010, proteomics has found renewed meaning and international attention with the launch of the Human Proteome Project and the growing interest in Big Data technologies such as proteomics. This article presents an interdisciplinary technology foresight analysis and conceptualizes the terms "environtome" and "social proteome". We define "environtome" as the entire complement of elements external to the human host, from microbiome, ambient temperature and weather conditions to government innovation policies, stock market dynamics, human values, political power and social norms that collectively shape the human host spatially and temporally. The "social proteome" is the subset of the environtome that influences the transition of proteomics technology to innovative applications in society. The social proteome encompasses, for example, new reimbursement schemes and business innovation models for proteomics diagnostics that depart from the "once-a-life-time" genotypic tests and the anticipated hype attendant to context and time sensitive proteomics tests. Building on the "nesting principle" for governance of complex systems as discussed by Elinor Ostrom, we propose here a 3-tiered organizational architecture for Big Data science such as proteomics. The proposed nested governance structure is comprised of (a) scientists, (b) ethicists, and (c) scholars in the nascent field of "ethics-of-ethics", and aims to cultivate a robust social proteome for personalized medicine. Ostrom often noted that such nested governance designs offer assurance that political power embedded in innovation processes is distributed evenly and is not concentrated disproportionately in a single overbearing stakeholder or person. We agree with this assessment and conclude by underscoring the synergistic value of social and biological proteomes to realize the full potentials of proteomics science for personalized medicine in psychiatry in the present era of Big Data.

Caution – Census Data Being Used: exploring and understanding errors and falsification in the Irish census

There are currently 23 bridges over the Liffey westwards from Lucan but only five of them were built east of O’Connell Bridge since 1850 and one is a pedestrian only bridge. This was despite a pressing need for a better system of traffic circulation that was obvious from the middle of the nineteenth century as the city and its docklands continued their eastwards expansion. That need was recognised by the civic authorities but the complex system of local governance with overlapping responsibilities ensured that satisfactory solutions were difficult to achieve. There were issues of power, of funding and of taxation as well as competing needs. Even the naming of bridges could not be easily accomplished. This paper examines the issue of bridge provision from 1880, the year that the widened Carlisle Bridge was reopened as O’Connell Bridge. The main focus of attention will be the initial building of Butt Bridge, its subsequent rebuilding and the intractable problem of building a bridge to the east of Butt Bridge. A novel solution in the form of a transporter bridge was proposed, which would have added a distinctive element to the city’s streetscape but nothing was accomplished in the thirty years to 1960. The city of Dublin during the period 1930-1950 has not been widely studied. Using a variety of sources, newspapers, civic minutes, Oireachtas debates, maps, photographs and graphics, this paper aims to shed light on one important aspect of civic governance and to show how the city might have been transformed had matters been handled in a different way.

The Liffey and a bridge too far: Bridge-building and governance in Dublin 1870-1960

There are currently 23 bridges over the Liffey westwards from Lucan but only five of them were built east of O’Connell Bridge since 1850 and one is a pedestrian only bridge. This was despite a pressing need for a better system of traffic circulation that was obvious from the middle of the nineteenth century as the city and its docklands continued their eastwards expansion. That need was recognised by the civic authorities but the complex system of local governance with overlapping responsibilities ensured that satisfactory solutions were difficult to achieve. There were issues of power, of funding and of taxation as well as competing needs. Even the naming of bridges could not be easily accomplished. This paper examines the issue of bridge provision from 1880, the year that the widened Carlisle Bridge was reopened as O’Connell Bridge. The main focus of attention will be the initial building of Butt Bridge, its subsequent rebuilding and the intractable problem of building a bridge to the east of Butt Bridge. A novel solution in the form of a transporter bridge was proposed, which would have added a distinctive element to the city’s streetscape but nothing was accomplished in the thirty years to 1960.The city of Dublin during the period 1930-1950 has not been widely studied. Using a variety of sources, newspapers, civic minutes, Oireachtas debates, maps, photographs and graphics, this paper aims to shed light on one important aspect of civic governance and to show how the city might have been transformed had matters been handled in a different way.

Caution – Census Data Being Used: exploring and understanding errors and falsification in the Irish census

There are currently 23 bridges over the Liffey westwards from Lucan but only five of them were built east of O’Connell Bridge since 1850 and one is a pedestrian only bridge. This was despite a pressing need for a better system of traffic circulation that was obvious from the middle of the nineteenth century as the city and its docklands continued their eastwards expansion. That need was recognised by the civic authorities but the complex system of local governance with overlapping responsibilities ensured that satisfactory solutions were difficult to achieve. There were issues of power, of funding and of taxation as well as competing needs. Even the naming of bridges could not be easily accomplished. This paper examines the issue of bridge provision from 1880, the year that the widened Carlisle Bridge was reopened as O’Connell Bridge. The main focus of attention will be the initial building of Butt Bridge, its subsequent rebuilding and the intractable problem of building a bridge to the east of Butt Bridge. A novel solution in the form of a transporter bridge was proposed, which would have added a distinctive element to the city’s streetscape but nothing was accomplished in the thirty years to 1960.The city of Dublin during the period 1930-1950 has not been widely studied. Using a variety of sources, newspapers, civic minutes, Oireachtas debates, maps, photographs and graphics, this paper aims to shed light on one important aspect of civic governance and to show how the city might have been transformed had matters been handled in a different way.

The Liffey and a bridge too far: Bridge-building and governance in Dublin 1870-1960

There are currently 23 bridges over the Liffey westwards from Lucan but only five of them were built east of O’Connell Bridge since 1850 and one is a pedestrian only bridge. This was despite a pressing need for a better system of traffic circulation that was obvious from the middle of the nineteenth century as the city and its docklands continued their eastwards expansion. That need was recognised by the civic authorities but the complex system of local governance with overlapping responsibilities ensured that satisfactory solutions were difficult to achieve. There were issues of power, of funding and of taxation as well as competing needs. Even the naming of bridges could not be easily accomplished. This paper examines the issue of bridge provision from 1880, the year that the widened Carlisle Bridge was reopened as O’Connell Bridge. The main focus of attention will be the initial building of Butt Bridge, its subsequent rebuilding and the intractable problem of building a bridge to the east of Butt Bridge. A novel solution in the form of a transporter bridge was proposed, which would have added a distinctive element to the city’s streetscape but nothing was accomplished in the thirty years to 1960. The city of Dublin during the period 1930-1950 has not been widely studied. Using a variety of sources, newspapers, civic minutes, Oireachtas debates, maps, photographs and graphics, this paper aims to shed light on one important aspect of civic governance and to show how the city might have been transformed had matters been handled in a different way.

Advancing Performance Measurement of Smart City

Smart city initiatives are thriving around the world. However, measuring the performance of a smart city becomes a critical challenge partially due to the lack of agreement on the concept and on the components that define a city as being “smart.” The primary purpose of this study is to propose a scheme of performance measurement on smart city, based on the understanding of smart city as an ICT-enabled complex governance system in the urban context. The measurement scheme is composed of five factors: institution, actors, interactions among the actors, ICT enactment, and outcomes. Each factor is further developed into a series of indicators. As a tentative effort, this study further utilizes the proposed scheme to make a brief comparison between two existing performance measurement frameworks in the United States and China. The comparison demonstrates the power of the set of measures in gauging and guiding the practice. Meanwhile, the authors recognize that the scheme should be understood as heuristics instead of a road map, as smart city is still an emergent phenomenon.

Focusing Events and Changes in Ecologies of Policy Games: Evidence from the Paraná River Delta

AbstractSolving environmental problems on a regional scale demands joint efforts by multiple stakeholders, but coordinating such efforts can be difficult in complex governance systems. In this article, we combine the literature in Adaptive Governance with the Ecology of Policy Games (EPGs) framework to enhance our understanding of how complex governance systems react to environmental focusing events. We study the EPGs in the Paraná River delta in Argentina following widespread fires caused by slash‐and‐burn practices in 2008, and analyze how new forums created to address the consequences of this event differ from the forums created prior to the event in terms of their capacity to attract stakeholders and to provide higher interconnectivity to the whole governance system. Furthermore, we offer an initial evaluation of the Comprehensive Strategic Plan for the Conservation and Sustainability of the Paraná River delta, the main forum in the EPGs created to address the negative consequences of the focusing event. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for the study of complex governance systems where stakeholders are able to address the management of natural resources at a regional scale.

Regulating ride-sharing in the peer economy

The rise of the peer economy poses complex new regulatory challenges for policy-makers. The peer economy, typified by services like Uber and AirBnB, promises substantial productivity gains through the more efficient use of existing resources and a marked reduction in regulatory overheads. These services are rapidly disrupting existing established markets, but the regulatory trade-offs they present are difficult to evaluate. In this paper, we examine the peer economy through the context of ride-sharing and the ongoing struggle over regulatory legitimacy between the taxi industry and new entrants Uber and Lyft. We first sketch the outlines of ride-sharing as a complex regulatory problem, showing how questions of efficiency are necessarily bound up in questions about levels of service, controls over pricing, and different approaches to setting, upholding, and enforcing standards. We outline the need for data-driven policy to understand the way that algorithmic systems work and what effects these might have in the medium to long term on measures of service quality, safety, labour relations, and equality. Finally, we discuss how the competition for legitimacy is not primarily being fought on utilitarian grounds, but is instead carried out within the context of a heated ideological battle between different conceptions of the role of the state and private firms as regulators. We ultimately argue that the key to understanding these regulatory challenges is to develop better conceptual models of the governance of complex systems by private actors and the available methods the state has of influencing their actions. These struggles are not, as is often thought, struggles between regulated and unregulated systems. The key to understanding these regulatory challenges is to better understand the important regulatory work carried out by powerful, centralised private firms – both the incumbents of existing markets and the disruptive network operators in the peer-economy.

Complex system governance requires systems thinking - how to find systems thinkers

Systems thinking offers a particularly useful worldview for dealing with increasing complexities faced by individuals. This paper explores the nature, assessment, and implications that systems thinking holds for individuals challenged by the shifting landscape of modern complex system governance. Following an introduction that identifies the main attributes of complex systems faced by individuals who engage in governance activities, three major themes are developed: 1) exploration of the concept of systems thinking; 2) suggestion of how enhanced systems thinking can increase the capability of individuals to more effectively design for system governance; 3) a strategic framework and initial findings for application of an instrument for assessment of the level of systems thinking for an individual. Systems thinking is suggested as a critical capability for individuals who must design, analyse, and transform complex system governance and address its derivative problems. Effectiveness in systems thinking is a critical skill for addressing some of the most vexing problems of the 21st century. This paper summarises the findings of a systems thinking instrument developed to identify the systems skills individuals need to engage complex system governance. The paper concludes with future research and application of the systems thinking instrument to better understand complex system governance.

Complex system governance reference model

Complex system governance (CSG) is an emerging field focused on purposeful development of control, communication, coordination, and integration functions necessary to produce and sustain desirable levels of system performance. In this paper, we develop a CSG reference model. Following an introduction to the CSG field, the paper focuses on three primary objectives to support development of a reference model. First, the conceptual foundations and role of the CSG reference model are established. These conceptual foundations rest in systems theory and management cybernetics and establish the essential philosophical and theoretical underpinnings. Second, we introduce the reference model by first discussing the nature, role, and utility for the model. We then expound each of the nine integrated functions of the model. Third, we conclude the paper by suggesting implications for the model and emerging directions with respect to research and practice. In addition, the position of the reference model in the emerging CSG field as well as related fields (e.g., system of systems engineering) is suggested.

Metasystem communication in governance of complex systems

Governance of complex systems to achieve goals, even while experiencing change, is accomplished by metasystem functions through a set of communication channels. This paper will explore the structure of these communication channels, the content of what is communicated and the activities of the metasystem functions with respect to these communication channels. Additionally, there will be an identification of associated implications in governance of complex systems when there is the absence of specific communication channels. Finally, there will be recommendations for future research.