Our Research
Climate Change
Our fate is in our hands. The Earth is warming and that is changing climates around the world with potentially disastrous consequences for human life. Our research looks for possible solutions from voluntary changes in individual behavior to global agreements between nations.
Capitalism
The rush for economic growth has dropped to many along the way, disillusioned with their lives. Income and wealth are not sure roads to well-being and capitalism is a primary cause of climate change. If capitalism returned to its liberal roots it would support life on Earth and allow everyone to find meaning in it.
Complexity
Complex systems lie between ordered systems (a machine) and chaotic systems (molecules in a gas). Natural systems – forests, lakes, and oceans – are classic examples of complex systems. Our research shows how ‘social systems’ from a group of people to nations and the global population are complex in unique ways with important consequences for governance.
Some of Our Works
This book published by SUNY Press in January 2022 shows, quite simply, that the governments of the world’s wealthiest countries have forgotten capitalism’s initial purpose. It was born out of a liberal philosophy that values the competition of ideas and goods in the service of social progress while respecting the individual and preventing excessive power. Yet, now giant corporations having usurped power are dominating markets and reducing competition—often with the aid of governments reducing the well-being of most people.
Published by Routledge in January 2022, this book explains how ‘complexity thinking’ can aid governance of social systems of all sizes. It does this through deep analyses of many governance challenges, including technological innovation, climate change, economic development, global governance and national responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. Accessible to undergraduates and scholars alike, it is essential reading for policymakers everywhere who want to govern effectively and efficiently.
