I always fall back on a systems processes view. More tools and more perspectives than just ABM, top-down dynamics, and network analysis (which, granted, can cover a lot).
Systems/agents interact to organize as more complex systems/architectures.
Systems/architectures emerge from the same systems processes--systems/agents organizing into networks, forming hierarchies, circulating information/material/energy, in states with state transitions, adapting and co-evolving with their environments, all following systemic life cycles.
If you know how healthy, functioning systems work generally, then you can identify when they go wrong--pathologies in systems. Bounded hierarchies/modules that prevent the circulation of information, material, and energy through the system. Difficulties in individuals' capacities to organize with others to improve their work and the system. Inadequate input, problems with stocks and flows. Too much or too little growth and not enough balancing. Inability to evolve internally, to co-evolve with the environment. Etc.
I do think the systems process view is a very important missing piece of the puzzle. It's very helpful for me when taking a qualitative perspective
But...I would love to see a lot more work being done to formally classify/categorize processes and build modeling/simulation tools purpose built for dealing with these processes in the abstract. Will be exploring some of this in netlogo/python this semester
Have been doing a deep dive into a few of Len's papers recently, may write up a few thoughts for next week!
I always fall back on a systems processes view. More tools and more perspectives than just ABM, top-down dynamics, and network analysis (which, granted, can cover a lot).
Systems/agents interact to organize as more complex systems/architectures.
Systems/architectures emerge from the same systems processes--systems/agents organizing into networks, forming hierarchies, circulating information/material/energy, in states with state transitions, adapting and co-evolving with their environments, all following systemic life cycles.
If you know how healthy, functioning systems work generally, then you can identify when they go wrong--pathologies in systems. Bounded hierarchies/modules that prevent the circulation of information, material, and energy through the system. Difficulties in individuals' capacities to organize with others to improve their work and the system. Inadequate input, problems with stocks and flows. Too much or too little growth and not enough balancing. Inability to evolve internally, to co-evolve with the environment. Etc.
I do think the systems process view is a very important missing piece of the puzzle. It's very helpful for me when taking a qualitative perspective
But...I would love to see a lot more work being done to formally classify/categorize processes and build modeling/simulation tools purpose built for dealing with these processes in the abstract. Will be exploring some of this in netlogo/python this semester
Have been doing a deep dive into a few of Len's papers recently, may write up a few thoughts for next week!