Public policy: new approach, new solutions

In cooperation with Athenaeum Boekhandel and Machiavelli (student society Political Science, UvA)

Event

When we think about public policy, two narratives seem persistent: that of market fundamentalism and government control. These approaches however seem to restrict the creativity of policy makers. Roland Kupers puts forward a new approach: that of complexity science. Can this revolutionize our way of thinking about society and public policy? And will this new approach really make a difference? With: Martijn van der Steen and David Laws.

Complexity science--made possible by modern analytical and computational advances--is changing the way we think about social systems and social theory. Unfortunately, economists’ policy models have not kept up and are stuck in either a market fundamentalist or government control narrative. While these standard narratives are useful in some cases, they are damaging in others, directing thinking away from creative, innovative policy solutions. Roland Kupers, one of the authors of Complexity and the Art of Public Policy (Princeton University Press 2014), will outline a new, more flexible policy narrative, which envisions society as a complex evolving system that is uncontrollable but can be influenced.

Kupers will illustrate some innovative bottom-up solutions by giving concrete examples, showing how we can channel individuals’ social instincts into solving societal problems, making profits a tool for change rather than a goal. Government would play a central role in this complexity framework by fostering an ecostructure within which diverse forms of social entrepreneurship can emerge and blossom. But does this new approach make sense for policy makers? Will they indeed create new possibilities and solutions for public policy? Kupers will engage in a debate with Martijn van der Steen on the consequences of these ideas in practice. Moderator: David Laws.

About the speakers

Dr. Roland Kupers is an independent consultant on Complexity, Resilience and Energy Transition, as well as Associate Fellow at Oxford University. A theoretical physicist by training, Roland spent a decade each at AT&T and Shell in various senior executive functions. He is widely published, including three books, editorials and papers.

Dr. M. (Martijn) van der Steen is co-dean and adjunct-director of the Dutch School for Public Governance (NSOB) in The Hague. Van der Steen studied societal history and public administration and got his PhD in 2009 for a study on the political discours on the future and the ageing population. He is doing research on government control in networks and on self-organizing networks that generate public value. He also publishes on strategy, future planned policy and complexity. 

Dr. David Laws (Ph.D. 1998, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) is a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. Before coming to Amsterdam, he worked at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning and the Sloan School of Management at MIT and with the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. His research focuses on the relationship between negotiation and conflict resolution, public administration, and democratic governance.  

 

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