Governing Complex Systems：Social Capital for the Anthropocene

Anexplorationoftheneedforinnovativemechanismsofgovernanceinanerawhenhumanactionsaremajordriversofenvironmentalchange.TheonsetoftheAnthropocene,anerainwhichhumanactionshavebecomemajordriversofchangeonaplanetaryscale,hasincreasedthecomplexityofsocioecologicalsystems.Complexsystemsposenovelchallengesforgovernancebecauseoftheirhighlevelsofconnectivity,nonlineardynamics,directionalpatternsofchange,andemergentproperties.Meetingthesechallengeswillrequirethedevelopmentofnewintellectualcapital.Inthisbook,OranYoungarguesthattoachievesustainableoutcomesinaworldofcomplexsystems,wewillneedgovernancesystemsthataresimultaneouslydurableenoughtobeeffectiveinguidingbehaviorandagileenoughtoadapttorapidlychangingcircumstances.Whilesomeinsightsfrompastresearchongovernanceremainvalidinthissetting,Youngarguesthatweneednewsocialcapitaltosupplementmainstreamregulatoryapproachesthatfeaturerulemakingwithanemphasisoncomplianceandenforcement.Heexplorestheusesofgoalsettingasagovernancestrategy,theideaofprincipledgovernance,andtheroleofwhatisoftencalledgoodgovernanceinmeetingthechallengesoftheAnthropocene.Drawingonhislongexperienceoperatingonthescience/policyfrontier,Youngcallsformoreeffectivecollaborationbetweenanalystsandpractitionersincreatingandimplementinggovernancesystemscapableofproducingsustainableoutcomesinaworldofcomplexsystems.