Research Articles

Institutions as Living Systems
06
Jun

Institutions as Living Systems

For much of modern history, institutions have been understood as stable organisations designed to perform clearly defined functions. Governments administer laws, courts interpret legal systems, universities educate students, hospitals provide…
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Understanding Collective Intelligence
21
May

Understanding Collective Intelligence

For centuries, intelligence has been understood primarily as an individual characteristic. We naturally associate intelligence with the capacity of a person to observe the world, interpret information, solve problems and…
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Why Complexity Changes Public Governance
05
May

Why Complexity Changes Public Governance

For much of modern history, public governance operated on the assumption that societies could be understood by dividing them into manageable parts. Governments established specialised ministries, public agencies and administrative…
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How Institutions Think
09
Apr

How Institutions Think

For centuries, thinking has been regarded as one of the defining characteristics of individual human beings. We naturally associate cognition with the human mind: the capacity to perceive reality, interpret…
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Why Institutions Must Learn
24
Mar

Why Institutions Must Learn

For most of history, institutions have been designed around the principle of stability. Governments, courts, universities, public administrations and international organisations have derived much of their legitimacy from their ability…
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