Policy and Complex Systems - Volume 1 Issue 1 - Spring 2014
Journal on Policy and Complex Systems Letter to the Editor
It is great to see a new journal devoted to complexity issues . There has never been a more important period than the present when the ideas and insights from complexity theory should be applied to policy . In the general readers eye complexity theory seems mysterious , abstract and basically inaccessible . This need not be the case . Basically , complexity theory says i ) appreciate and influence general potentially desirable directions ; ii ) maximize flow of information and purposeful interactions ; and iii ) look for and rein in promising patterns and developments .
As my colleagues and I work on what we call the ' new pedagogies ' ( learning partnerships between and among students and teachers ), link them to ' deep learning ' ( 21st century skills and competencies ), and see how both pedagogues and deep learning can be accelerated by technology , we see the application of complexity theory to be a perfect fit . We expect that such thinking will generate key insights for both policy and practice .
The inaugural issue of the Journal on Policy and Complex Systems looks like an exciting start . Each of the four articles tackles a big problem . It is especially noteworthy that the focus of the journal is on the linkage between complexity analysis , and specific policy developments .
I can ’ t wait to read Schumpeter Revisited as well as the other articles which case a wide net for the work of complexity thinking and related policy . In every area of human kind there are growing difficulties of understanding what is happening and how we might obtain insights about what to do .
The digital world itself raises countless issues that ramify across every sector . I predict that this Journal will have a long and rich life with endless topics and cumulative insights . Bring on the debate and the widening of deliberation about policy and action !
Michael Fullan Order of Canada , Professor Emeritus , OISE / University of Toronto .
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