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Editor ’ s Introduction
Welcome to the second issue of the Journal on Policy and Complex Systems .
On behalf of the entire JPCS team , I thank you for the continued support of the journal . It is never easy to establish a new field . This is the case with the field of policy and complex systems as well . However , the quality of the submitted papers , the expressed interest of the researchers , and the informal communications at conferences have clearly demonstrated that the intersection of complexity and policy is a growing discipline of interest to many practitioners in fields as diverse as complexity , policy , sociology , economics , education , medicine , and political science , just to name a few . The novelty of this field will surely cause a few mistakes here and there , but it will also allow us the flexibility of an unexplored and uncharted territory , leading to fresh looks and solutions to life ’ s persistent challenges . Please check frequently our Web site at http :// policyandcomplexsystems . wordpress . com . The Web site is currently under revision in an effort to turn it into a more extensive communication channel with our readers , offering more modalities for expressing ideas and research results , including video recordings , simulations , and discussion forums .
The second issue of the JPCS is divided into three distinct , but related , sections . The first section focuses on complexity theory . The paper by Furtado and Sakowski offers a much needed review of the fundamental contributions to the field of complexity , ranging from information theory , cellular automata , artificial intelligence , and evolution to nonlinear systems , dynamic systems , and the need for developing computational models . Those scientific fields have contributed to the development of the central ideas of complex systems : agents and agent interactions , emergence and self-organization , nonlinearity , simplicity of rules , dynamics , feedback , and adaptation .
The paper by Wood and Givel explores the issue of governing in US urban areas , using complexity to better understand the primary levers of systemic power in such social settings . The paper offers a new model that reveals the link between complexity theory and systemic power .
The second section is on applications of complexity in policy . Geyer and Royle use the context of the Islamic financial system to explore tensions between the neo-liberal approaches to development , as practiced by the IMF and the World Bank , and the constraints of the Islamic landing principles . In this paper , Geyer and Royle trace the emergence of new Islamic development thinking as a bland of neo-liberal practices and Islamic banking principles .
Next , Badham presents a framework for assisting policy analysts in engaging with modelers , thus allowing them to make the best use of models . The model framework uses three dimensions : functionality , accuracy , and feasibility . The framework is presented more as a
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