- Problem Solving: Complexity, History, Sustainability - By Joseph Tainter
Sustainability or collapse follow from the success or failure of problem-solving institutions. The factors that lead to long-term success or failure in problem solving have received little attention, so that this fundamental activity is poorly understood....
- Bureaucracy And Overcomplexity: Apollo Asia Fund: The Manager's Report For 2q2011
In May, seeking a brief escape from markets and bureaucracy alike, I enjoyed a fascinating tour of Qinghai, the Chinese province which is part of Greater Tibet. I was interested to see how the gathering and trading of cordyceps has exploded in recent...
- Culture Evolves Slowly, Falls Apart Quickly
Found via Farnam Street.Societies come together slowly, but can fall apart quickly, say researchers who applied the tools of evolutionary biologists to an anthropological debate.Using archaeological records and linguistic analyses rather than fossils...
- Lunch With The Ft: Jared Diamond
Jared Diamond is the guru of collapse. Collapse is the title of one of the books that have made him a world-famous academic. It is a theme that captures the Zeitgeist: markets have collapsed, banks have collapsed and confidence, even in the capitalist...