Journal on Policy and Complex Systems
crete , from linear to nonlinear , from deterministic to stochastic , from abstract to detailed , and from homogeneous to composite ( Downey , 2012 , p . 4 ).
The third section introduced a new taxonomy rooted in the propositions of complex systems theory and then used it to reframe the international system . Then it analyzed the granularity of the international system and differentiated between agents ( people ) and meta-agents ( social organizations ), explaining that the latter should be studied as structures that have emerged from the adaptive interactions of the former . After having exposed the multilevel nature of adaptive systems , the section criticized the traditional compartmentalization of world politics into levels of analysis , which prevents scholars to see the relationship between microspecifications and macrobehavior .
In the section on the “ operators ” of the international system , it was inferred that adaptation is the higher order rule that drives agents ’ behavior . It was suggested that , instead of assuming a unitary ( and maybe rational ) behavior for all agents , it would be better to assume how behavior is constructed . The section then described how adaptive behavior comes about through the processes of performance system , credit assignment , and rule discovery .
Lastly , the final section looked at the outcomes of adaptive interactions among agents and evaluated what is the function of states and the international system . The research indicated that , in the international system , not only agents process information , but also the system is actively doing so , with the consequence being the establishment of self-organization among agents . One of the more significant arguments made in this study is the one that self-organization is a property of systems that emerges from coevolution of adaptive agents as an evolutionary response that serves to supply for agents ’ limited resources and foresight .
From this perspective , it was then possible to explain that states are complex systems with strong levels of self-organization and top-down processes that increasingly channel agents into deterministic and focused behavior . Hence , the function of states was suggested to be the one of the favoring coevolutions and promoting fit rules among their population . Conversely , it was noticed that the international system remains only mildly self-organized . With a possible explanation for this characteristic being that disorganized behavior is , to an extent , necessary for the system to process global information , which takes the form of distributed patterns over the system .
Bibliography
Axelrod , R . ( 1997 ). The complexity of cooperation : Agent-based models of competition and collaboration . Princeton , NJ : Princeton University Press .
Axelrod , R . ( 2006 ). Alternative uses of simulation . In N . E . Harrison ( Ed .), Complexity in world politics : Concepts and methods of a new paradigm ( pp . 137 – 142 ). New York : State University of New York Press .
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