Population ageing is a complex, non-linear challenge which cannot be met by either bureaucracies or markets, or even the two working together, as Oliver Williamson described in his 2008 Nobel Prize work. It requires the development of what is called a complex adaptive system
“Certain nonlinear systems attracted the attentions of scholars as a potentially useful avenue for analyzing natural and social phenomena. They are commonly described as being Complex, because their behavior is defined to a large extent by local interactions between their components. When such systems are capable of evolution they are also known as Complex Adaptive Systems.” Source: Rihani, S (2002) Complex Systems Theory and Development Practice. Understanding non-linear realities. Zed Books Ltd. (p.7). By working together individuals and organisations can not only meet the challenge they can continuously create new solutions which emerge from joint working, a phenomenon known as emergence. “In these [complex adaptive] systems, agents residing on one scale start producing behaviour that lies one scale above them: ants create colonies; urbanites create neighbourhoods; simple pattern- recognition software learns how to recommend new books. The movement from low-level rules to higher-level sophistication is what we call emergence. ” Source: Johnson, S. (2001) Emergence. The connected lives of ants, brains, cities and software. Penguin Books. (p.18). Already a number of solutions have emerged, some inter-personal, some digital, some in a locality, some national.. What is needed is Lab, a population where these interactions can be created and stimulated and the Integrated Neighbourhood Networks of South and West Herts have volunteered to be the Lab which you can see on the linked page. |