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Uniquely reflects an engineering view to social systems in a wide variety of contexts of application
Social Systems Engineering: The Design of Complexity brings together a wide variety of application approaches to social systems from an engineering viewpoint. The book defines a social system as any complex system formed by human beings. Focus is given to the importance of systems intervention design for specific and singular settings, the possibilities of engineering thinking and methods, the use of computational models in particular contexts, and the development of portfolios of solutions. Furthermore, this book considers both technical, human and social perspectives, which are crucial to solving complex problems.
Social Systems Engineering: The Design of Complexity provides modelling examples to explore the design aspect of social systems. Various applications are explored in a variety of areas, such as urban systems, health care systems, socio-economic systems, and environmental systems. It covers important topics such as organizational design, modelling and intervention in socio-economic systems, participatory and/or community-based modelling, application of systems engineering tools to social problems, applications of computational behavioral modeling, computational modelling and management of complexity, and more.
* Highlights an engineering view to social systems (as opposed to a "scientific" view) that stresses the importance of systems intervention design for specific and singular settings
* Divulges works where the design, re-design, and transformation of social systems constitute the main aim, and where joint considerations of both technical and social perspectives are deemed important in solving social problems
* Features an array of applied cases that illustrate the application of social systems engineering in different domains
Social Systems Engineering: The Design of Complexity is an excellent text for academics and graduate students in engineering and social science--specifically, economists, political scientists, anthropologists, and management scientists with an interest in finding systematic ways to intervene and improve social systems.
List of contents
List of Contributors xi
Preface xiii
Introduction: The Why, What and How of Social Systems Engineering 1
César García-Díaz and Camilo Olaya
Part I SOCIAL SYSTEMS ENGINEERING: THE VERY IDEA 11
1 Compromised Exactness and the Rationality of Engineering 13
Steven L. Goldman
1.1 Introduction 13
1.2 The Historical Context 14
1.3 Science and Engineering: Distinctive Rationalities 20
1.4 'Compromised Exactness': Design in Engineering 23
1.5 Engineering Social Systems? 26
References 29
2 Uncertainty in the Design and Maintenance of Social Systems 31
William M. Bulleit
2.1 Introduction 31
2.2 Uncertainties in Simple and Complicated Engineered Systems 33
2.3 Control Volume and Uncertainty 35
2.4 Engineering Analysis and Uncertainty in Complex Systems 37
2.5 Uncertainty in Social Systems Engineering 39
2.6 Conclusions 42
References 42
3 System Farming 45
Bruce Edmonds
3.1 Introduction 45
3.2 Uncertainty, Complexity and Emergence 46
3.2.1 The Double Complexity of CSS 48
3.3 Science and Engineering Approaches 49
3.3.1 The Impossibility of a Purely Design-Based Engineering Approach to CSS 51
3.3.2 Design vs. Adaptation 52
3.3.3 The Necessity of Strongly Validated Foundations for Design-Based Approaches 53
3.4 Responses to CSS Complexity 54
3.4.1 Formal Methods 54
3.4.2 Statistical Approaches 55
3.4.3 Self-adaptive and Adaptive Systems 57
3.4.4 Participatory Approaches and Rapid Prototyping 57
3.5 Towards Farming Systems 58
3.5.1 Reliability from Experience Rather Than Control of Construction 58
3.5.2 Post-Construction Care Rather Than Prior Effort 58
3.5.3 Continual Tinkering Rather Than One-Off Effort 59
3.5.4 Multiple Fallible Mechanisms Rather Than One Reliable Mechanism 59
3.5.5 Monitoring Rather Than Prediction 59
3.5.6 Disaster Aversion Rather Than Optimizing Performance 59
3.5.7 Partial Rather Than Full Understanding 59
3.5.8 Specific Rather Than Abstract Modelling 60
3.5.9 Many Models Rather Than One 60
3.5.10 A Community Rather Than Individual Effort 60
3.6 Conclusion 60
References 61
4 Policy between Evolution and Engineering 65
Martin F.G. Schaffernicht
4.1 Introduction: Individual and Social System 65
4.2 Policy - Concept and Process 67
4.3 Human Actors: Perception, Policy and Action 70
4.4 Artefacts 73
4.5 Engineering and Evolution: From External to Internal Selection 76
4.6 Policy between Cultural Evolution and Engineering 79
4.7 Conclusions and Outlook 82
Appendix: Brief Overview of the Policy Literature 83
References 86
5 'Friend' versus 'Electronic Friend' 91
Joseph C. Pitt
References 99
Part II METHODOLOGIES AND TOOLS 101
6 Interactive Visualizations for Supporting Decision-Making in Complex Socio-technical Systems 103
Zhongyuan Yu, Mehrnoosh Oghbaie, Chen Liu, William B. Rouse and Michael J. Pennock
6.1 Introduction 103
6.2 Policy Flight Simulators 104
6.2.1 Background 104
6.2.2 Multi-level Modelling 105
6.2.3 People's Use of Simulators 106
6.3 Application 1 - Hospital Consolidation 108
6.3.1 Model Overview 110
6.3.2 Results and Conclusions 117
6.4 Application 2 - Enterprise Diagnostics 118
6.4.1 Automobile Industry Application 119
About the author
César García-Díaz, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia. César's expertise is in the field of agent-based social simulation.
Camilo Olaya, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia. Camilo is a researcher in model-based engineering of private and public systems with more than 15 years of experience in this field.
Summary
Uniquely reflects an engineering view to social systems in a wide variety of contexts of application
Social Systems Engineering: The Design of Complexity brings together a wide variety of application approaches to social systems from an engineering viewpoint. The book defines a social system as any complex system formed by human beings. Focus is given to the importance of systems intervention design for specific and singular settings, the possibilities of engineering thinking and methods, the use of computational models in particular contexts, and the development of portfolios of solutions. Furthermore, this book considers both technical, human and social perspectives, which are crucial to solving complex problems.
Social Systems Engineering: The Design of Complexity provides modelling examples to explore the design aspect of social systems. Various applications are explored in a variety of areas, such as urban systems, health care systems, socio-economic systems, and environmental systems. It covers important topics such as organizational design, modelling and intervention in socio-economic systems, participatory and/or community-based modelling, application of systems engineering tools to social problems, applications of computational behavioral modeling, computational modelling and management of complexity, and more.
* Highlights an engineering view to social systems (as opposed to a "scientific" view) that stresses the importance of systems intervention design for specific and singular settings
* Divulges works where the design, re-design, and transformation of social systems constitute the main aim, and where joint considerations of both technical and social perspectives are deemed important in solving social problems
* Features an array of applied cases that illustrate the application of social systems engineering in different domains
Social Systems Engineering: The Design of Complexity is an excellent text for academics and graduate students in engineering and social science--specifically, economists, political scientists, anthropologists, and management scientists with an interest in finding systematic ways to intervene and improve social systems.
