Implications of adopting a complexity framework for development

Abstract

Rihani and Geyer ( 2001) outlined a possible shift in the study and practice of development away from a linear, Newtonian formulation towards a nonlinear framework that views development as an ongoing complex adaptive process. They suggested that the transformation could provide a theoretical synthesis for diverse ideas that have recently emerged as assorted responses to past failures. This second progress report considers some of the implications of adopting such a framework.Naturally, a move to a radically different framework alters the concept of development as currently understood. The main features of the revised concept are summarized below, as a first step towards determining the possible consequences of accepting the new formulation.Development is an open-ended evolving process that has no beginning, no end and no shortcuts (Rihani, 2002). Effective development proceeds as a cyclical activity that has three indivisible components: survival, adaptation and learning. Survival relates to the presence of a discernable stable pattern or structure, learning means the build up and application of relevant knowledge, while adaptation describes change that enhances performance and the probability of survival. Success, therefore, relies heavily on striking a balance between: malleability, but not so much that the slightest jolt would destroy the structure; and stability, but not so much as to prevent gradual adaptation (Kauffman, 1996: 73). The pattern has to survive long enough for the next evolutionary step to take place. Learning, however, improves the effectiveness of each adaptive change to enable the structure to cope better with fluctuating conditions

Community Health Systems as Complex Adaptive Systems: Ontology and Praxis Lessons from an Urban Health Experience with Demonstrated Sustainability

“…It is far sounder to consider time as a fundamental factor of system adaptation. Both biological and social systems need time for regularities* to be expressed (Rihani 2002b). In the Concern example, the project benefited from the opportunities that USAID and private donors provided: a fairly long entry phase for baseline assessments and detailed plans 6 ; the ability to redesign, based on a mid-term evaluation; the possibility to make a small reinvestment in the two municipalities after the end of project in 2005; and repeat involvement through the sustainability assessments in 2007 and 2009.…”

“…Rihani and Geyer (Geyer and Rihani 2010;Rihani 2002aRihani , 2002b have made substantial contributions to complexity theory as applied to public policy and international development. Rihani argues that ignoring complexity has led to serious failures of development assistance policies and programs by limiting local adaptive capacity.…”

Desenvolvimento sustentável: uma abordagem baseada em sistemas dissipativos

“…Esses autores afirmam que as mudanças provocadas por certas perturbações (provavelmente referindo-se às que ocorrem em um ponto de bifurcação) correspondem, assim, a uma "evolução da evolução", segundo expressão dos autores, ou seja, a uma evolução do próprio processo evolutivo destes sistemas (HARVEY; REED, 1997, p. 305). Rihani (2002) enfatiza que a evolução requer tanto que um sistema esteja sujeito a mudanças quanto que ele seja capaz de resistir a mudanças, na medida em que a capacidade de auto-organização de um sistema requer que ele mantenha, até certo ponto, a sua estrutura. Assim, um sistema dissipativo, para ser capaz de evoluir, deve ser suficientemente flexível, isto é, apresentar uma instabilidade interna que lhe permita sofrer mudanças, mas, também, apresentar certo grau de resiliencia, isto é, capacidade de absorver impactos externos, de maneira a não comprometer o seu processo de organização (RIHANI, 2002).…”

“…Portanto, segundo este autor, os fenômenos de inteligência coletiva podem ser explicados na medida em que as pessoas agem como unidades de processamento paralelas descentralizadas e independentes. Rihani (2002) destaca a importância dos processos de aprendizado coletivo como um dos elementos centrais para o entendimento do desenvolvimento como um processo evolutivo. Segundo este autor, as mudanças observadas nas sociedades não dizem respeito apenas às formas como elas se organizam, mas também à maneira como os indivíduos passam a compreendê-la a partir das suas experiências e da aquisição de novas informações.…”

Advancing the application of systems thinking in health: sustainability evaluation as learning and sense-making in a complex urban health system in Northern Bangladesh

“…Conceptual and methodological debates about sustainability continue in the literature [ 17 , 18 ], but the identification of complex systems behaviors as fundamental determinants of sustainability, which was already identified to some extent by a number of past authors [ 19 – 21 ], has become more explicit in recent publications [ 3 , 9 , 22 – 25 ].…”