2nd Edition
by David Byrne (Author), Gillian Callaghan (Author)
This expanded and updated edition of Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences: The State of the Art revisits
the use of complexity theory across the social sciences and
demonstrates how complexity informs approaches to various contemporary
issues in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, widening social
inequality, and impending social and ecological catastrophe wrought by
global warming.
The book reviews complexity theory in
the practice of the social sciences and at their interface with
ecological science. It outlines how social theory can be reconciled with
complexity thinking and presents a review of the way research can be
done using complexity theory. The book suggests how complexity theory
can be used to understand and evaluate governance processes,
particularly with regard to social inequality and the climate crisis.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is also examined through a
complexity lens, reviewing how complexity thinking has been employed in
relation to the pandemic and how implementing a complexity framework can
transform health and social care. The book concludes with a call to
action and the use of complexity theory to inform critical thinking in
the education system.
This textbook will be immensely
useful to students and researchers interested in social research
methods, social theory, business and organization studies, health,
education, urban studies, and development studies.
