Policy and Complex Systems - Volume 3 Number 2 - Fall 2017
Editor ’ s Letter
Welcome to the special issue of the Journal on Policy and Complex Systems ( JPCS ) on complexity , policy , and social good . This issue includes updated papers presented at the inaugural conference on Complexity-Based Analytics and Policies for Social Good , held in Washington , DC on April 12 – 14 at the University of Maryland ’ s Washington , DC campus . This conference was organized by the JPCS and co-sponsored by the University of Maryland ’ s Robert H . Smith School of Business , Computational Social Science Society of the Americas , Cisco , and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte . Even though it is unusual for journals to organize conferences , we thought that it was imperative for the JPCS to help establish and promote a new application domain of policy and complexity , social good .
This issue of the journal is loosely divided in four sections . Section 1 is focusing on social conflicts , covering conflict dynamics , civil revolutions , and genocide . Section 2 includes papers on social structures , containing papers on intergovernmental networks , an education system intervention framework , censorship , novel approaches to foster care , and combating diseases . Section 3 covers papers on social behavior . They include papers on models for detecting human trafficking flows , farmer behaviors under various policy schemes , and a citizen-centric government services ecosystem . Finally , Section 4 includes one speculative paper on democracy and analytics , labeled as future directions .
We will continue this practice of initiating and / or supporting new disciplines and application domains related to policy and complex systems . Please let us know if you have ideas for future offerings and special issues .
Mirsad Hadzikadic Editor , JPCS
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