Journal on Policy and Complex Systems
tems theory to explain why only a few ( and fit ) ex-Soviet states were able to integrate into the EU . An insightful essay by Matt Hoffmann ( 2006 ) that studies coevolution and adaptations in the context of the creation of international regimes . An agent-based model by Ravi Bhavnani ( 2006 ) on the spread of violence in the 1994 Rwandan genocide . In addition , lastly , a chapter written by Robert Axelrod ( 2006 ), which ponders the role of simulation in IR and social sciences vis-à-vis traditional inductive and deductive methods .
The book Political Complexity is instead focused on political science and only few of its chapters touch upon international relations . Among those who do , are worth mentioning : Richards ’ ( 2000a ) paper on nonlinear modeling , which reframes political science under a complexity theory framework , and her paper on nonlinear dynamics in games , which provides an example of modeling for international environmental regimes .
The Princeton Studies in Complexity Series has published 14 fulllength books on complexity theory that ranges from biology to economics and political science . Those of particular interest for the field of IR are : Axelrod ’ s ( 1997 ) book The Complexity of Cooperation , which uses agent-based modeling and genetic algorithm to study cooperation and meta-norms . Lars-Erik Cederman ’ s ( 1997 ) book Emergent Actors in World Politics , which reviews traditional IR scholarship and simulates state formation and “ balance of power ” in complex adaptive systems . And Joshua M . Epstein ’ s ( 1996 , 2007 , and 2013 ) coauthored books , Generative Social Science , Agent Zero , and Growing Artificial Societies . Epstein ’ s trilogy provides a foundational framework for studying social dynamics with agent-based modeling . The book Growing Artificial Societies uses complex systems theory in a holistic way to recreate in silico an entire society made of composite agents that , with a distributed artificial intelligence , reproduce , create , consume and trade resources . The book is particularly relevant because it provides case studies on how to “ discover fundamental local or micro mechanisms that are sufficient to generate the macroscopic social structures and collective behaviors of interest ” ( Epstein & Axtell , 1996 , pp . 12 – 16 ).
While there is a growing body of literature in social sciences that uses complexity science , the largest body is still found in natural and computational sciences ( Henrickson & McKelvey , 2002 ). Fortunately , due to the interdisciplinary nature of complexity science , each theoretical advancement in a discipline quickly translates to an overall progress for all the others . For instance , the contribution of Stuart A . Kauffman ’ s ( 1993 ) seminal book titled The Origins of Order goes beyond the field of evolutionary biology and invests any scholar that uses complexity theory . A social scientist might as well find in Kauffman ’ s elegant use of modeling techniques a source of inspiration for modeling social dynamics . Similarly , John H . Holland ’ s ( 1995 ) book Hidden Order introduces computational techniques that have been used in several fields of study and for different purpos-
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