A Brief Introduction to Complexity Theory in Managing Public Services
This article seeks to provide a brief overview of the development of complexity theory in public sector management. The article starts by reviewing the emergence of complexity theory, first in natural sciences and then in social sciences, as an attempt to analyse complex systems and phenomena which...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Centre de Recherche et d'Etudes en Civilisation Britannique
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/rfcb/8103 |
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| author | Nicholas Sowels |
| author_facet | Nicholas Sowels |
| author_sort | Nicholas Sowels |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article seeks to provide a brief overview of the development of complexity theory in public sector management. The article starts by reviewing the emergence of complexity theory, first in natural sciences and then in social sciences, as an attempt to analyse complex systems and phenomena which direct “Newtonian” causalities fail to explain fully. Next, it looks at how such complexity theory – which makes the distinction between complexity and chaos – has been used to examine public services. In particular, the article analyses how new public management (NPM) and post-NPM have led to far more complex public service networks and delivery systems than the bureaucratic government structures which existed previously. As a result, research into complex public service systems has itself contributed to the deepening of complexity theory. Finally, the article presents a series of cases in which complexity theory is applied to public sector management, and the management of common pool resources as analysed by Elinor Ostrom. It concludes that complexity theory is a powerful tool for challenging the standard frame of mainstream economics and NPM, but that its applicability is not easy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7f4911cdac2c4b4d8e5b26fcc2841a66 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0248-9015 2429-4373 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Centre de Recherche et d'Etudes en Civilisation Britannique |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique |
| spelling | doaj-art-7f4911cdac2c4b4d8e5b26fcc2841a662025-08-20T02:20:07ZengCentre de Recherche et d'Etudes en Civilisation BritanniqueRevue Française de Civilisation Britannique0248-90152429-43732021-01-0126210.4000/rfcb.8103A Brief Introduction to Complexity Theory in Managing Public ServicesNicholas SowelsThis article seeks to provide a brief overview of the development of complexity theory in public sector management. The article starts by reviewing the emergence of complexity theory, first in natural sciences and then in social sciences, as an attempt to analyse complex systems and phenomena which direct “Newtonian” causalities fail to explain fully. Next, it looks at how such complexity theory – which makes the distinction between complexity and chaos – has been used to examine public services. In particular, the article analyses how new public management (NPM) and post-NPM have led to far more complex public service networks and delivery systems than the bureaucratic government structures which existed previously. As a result, research into complex public service systems has itself contributed to the deepening of complexity theory. Finally, the article presents a series of cases in which complexity theory is applied to public sector management, and the management of common pool resources as analysed by Elinor Ostrom. It concludes that complexity theory is a powerful tool for challenging the standard frame of mainstream economics and NPM, but that its applicability is not easy.https://journals.openedition.org/rfcb/8103public servicescomplexity theorycomplex systemsnew public management |
| spellingShingle | Nicholas Sowels A Brief Introduction to Complexity Theory in Managing Public Services Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique public services complexity theory complex systems new public management |
| title | A Brief Introduction to Complexity Theory in Managing Public Services |
| title_full | A Brief Introduction to Complexity Theory in Managing Public Services |
| title_fullStr | A Brief Introduction to Complexity Theory in Managing Public Services |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Brief Introduction to Complexity Theory in Managing Public Services |
| title_short | A Brief Introduction to Complexity Theory in Managing Public Services |
| title_sort | brief introduction to complexity theory in managing public services |
| topic | public services complexity theory complex systems new public management |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/rfcb/8103 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nicholassowels abriefintroductiontocomplexitytheoryinmanagingpublicservices AT nicholassowels briefintroductiontocomplexitytheoryinmanagingpublicservices |