Journal on Policy and Complex Systems • Volume 6 , Number 2 • Fall 2020
Book Review : Hilton L . Root ’ s Network Origins of the Global Economy : East vs . West in a Complex Systems Perspective
Liz Johnson Complex Systems Institute , UNC Charlotte
Hilton L . Root , Network Origins of the Global Economy : East vs . West in a Complex Systems Perspective . Cambridge University Press , 2020 . ISBN 978-1-108-48899-0 .
Academics in the realm of economics , international relations , and public policy have not yet reached the point where they need to be in relation to how the process of change and interaction patterns transpire , but they do recognize that relationships matter , whether at the macro , meso , or micro level . However , Dr . Root with his new book on Network Origins of the Global Economy East VS . West in a Complex Systems Perspective demonstrates that networks can pave the way to understanding and novel insights . He recognizes that networks , which are the glue that hold social and economic systems together with measurable structural characteristics , are an important aspect of the global economy .
Further , Root ’ s approach supports the premise that one cannot understand the complexity of an entity , like the global economy , until one maps out and grasps the network behind the system over time . Root does this with provocative originality by situating political economics in the contextual perspective of complexity , while analyzing historical regimes , and addressing the coming instability in globalization due to denser connectivity yielding new sources of unpredictability . There is no perfect accounting for complexity in policy research or in life and as Pagels ( 1988 ) states , “ Life can be so nonlinear ” ( p . 71 ). It is difficult for the human mind to fully grasp what is going on with the complexity of the global economy . Yet with complexity , Root presents deep logical structures that would otherwise be hidden enabling comprehension of networks and how they impact global change .
Root has an impressive background as a policy specialist in political economy and international development . He serves as policy advisor to the Asian Development Bank , the International Monetary Fund , the World Bank , the U . S . State Department , U . S . Treasury Department , U . S . Agency for International Development , and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development . He is also a faculty member at the George Mason University Schar School of Public Policy and Government .
119 doi : 10.18278 / jpcs . 6.2.8