Adam Day, States of Disorder, Ecosystems of Governance
*"Complexity Theory Applied to UN Statebuilding in the DRC and South Sudan"
Adam Day.
This is a very interesting discussion. The book critiques the UN's traditional approach of 'state-building', i.e. treating what it deems 'failed states' as simple machines where you can simply remove the bad part and replace it with a good part and all will be well. The author proposes treating them as complex systems, and ultimately as sites of self-governance, not world-building exercises from the outside.
complexity science. Democratic Republic of Congo. South Sudan
There is no such thing as an ungoverned space. Where there are people, there is governance. It just may not be in a form that appeals to the sensibilities of Western liberals.
~00:04:15 Gives a nice succinct description of complicated vs complex systems.
Pursuing a complexity-driven approach instead helps to avoid unintentional consequences, identifies meaningful points of leverage, and opens the possibility of transforming societies from within.