Uniquely reflects an engineering view to social systems in a wide variety of contexts of application Social Systems Engineering: The Design of Complexity brings together a wide variety of application approaches to social systems from an engineering viewpoint. The book defines a social system as any complex system formed by human beings. Focus is given to the importance of systems intervention design for specific and singular settings, the possibilities of engineering thinking and methods, the use of computational models in particular contexts, and the development of portfolios of solutions. Furthermore, this book considers both technical, human and social perspectives, which are crucial to solving complex problems. Social Systems Engineering: The Design of Complexity provides modelling examples to explore the design aspect of social systems. Various applications are explored in a variety of areas, such as urban systems, health care systems, socio-economic systems, and environmental systems. It covers important topics such as organizational design, modelling and intervention in socio-economic systems, participatory and/or community-based modelling, application of systems engineering tools to social problems, applications of computational behavioral modeling, computational modelling and management of complexity, and more. Highlights an engineering view to social systems (as opposed to a “scientific” view) that stresses the importance of systems intervention design for specific and singular settings Divulges works where the design, re-design, and transformation of social systems constitute the main aim, and where joint considerations of both technical and social perspectives are deemed important in solving social problems Features an array of applied cases that illustrate the application of social systems engineering in different domains Social Systems Engineering: The Design of Complexity is an excellent text for academics and graduate students in engineering and social science—specifically, economists, political scientists, anthropologists, and management scientists with an interest in finding systematic ways to intervene and improve social systems.

This book integrates the basic theories (GST and Parson’s AGIL framework), applying them to the components of social systems, state-run and business firms. China’s development experience offers a valuable case study that can provide readers deeper insights into this comparatively young discipline, and into China. Though the discipline of systems engineering and its application to hardware engineering system are well established, social systems engineering is an emerging discipline still being explored. This book may be the first English-language publication on this promising subject.

This book is more or less a companion volume of the author’s book Introduction to Social Systems Engineering published by Springer in March, 2018. Since social systems engineering is a complex emerging discipline, this book will focus more on the evolution of the concept and the formation process. This is related to the book Introduction to Social Systems Engineering within the context of the author’s working and study experience of around 33 years in engineering and 36 years in policy research and planning at national and regional level.

We live in the worlds that we help to create every day. Every activity either supports an existing system or effects some change, however small. But is it possible to consciously create the worlds in which we want to live? This volume brings together systems theorists and practitioners who have worked on that question for decades. It explores connections between design and systems ideas to explain why some efforts have been more successful than others, and what is needed if we are to move forward. It offers reflections on early and large-scale attempts at impacting societal systems, as well as proposals for taking those ideas into the future. Examples date back to the Club of Rome in the 1960s and look forward to the creation of ecologically sustainable systems in the future. They address the need for collaboration and inclusion in settings from communities to corporations. And while theories are presented as support for the examples, they are explained in practical ways meant to be accessible both to students and to general readers.

The complexity of large systems in public administration progresses in terms of both quality and quantity year after year. Mastering complex systems is therefore assuming an increasing dominance in this area. Learning to master evolving systems needs at least a foundation in science and engineering know-how. The relationship between the professionals, such as system engineers viewing from the outside and the beneficiaries, such as public administration officials using the computer systems on the inside is therefore of prime importance if the many problems are to be solved.This book does not attempt to provide definitive answers but rather aims to give shape to our visions and ideas and to stimulate further discussion and research.

A comprehensive text that reviews the methods and technologies that explore emergent behavior in complex systems engineering in multidisciplinary fields In Emergent Behavior in Complex Systems Engineering, the authors present the theoretical considerations and the tools required to enable the study of emergent behaviors in manmade systems. Information Technology is key to today’s modern world. Scientific theories introduced in the last five decades can now be realized with the latest computational infrastructure. Modeling and simulation, along with Big Data technologies are at the forefront of such exploration and investigation. The text offers a number of simulation-based methods, technologies, and approaches that are designed to encourage the reader to incorporate simulation technologies to further their understanding of emergent behavior in complex systems. The authors present a resource for those designing, developing, managing, operating, and maintaining systems, including system of systems. The guide is designed to help better detect, analyse, understand, and manage the emergent behaviour inherent in complex systems engineering in order to reap the benefits of innovations and avoid the dangers of unforeseen consequences. This vital resource: Presents coverage of a wide range of simulation technologies Explores the subject of emergence through the lens of Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Offers contributions from authors at the forefront of various related disciplines such as philosophy, science, engineering, sociology, and economics Contains information on the next generation of complex systems engineering Written for researchers, lecturers, and students, Emergent Behavior in Complex Systems Engineering provides an overview of the current discussions on complexity and emergence, and shows how systems engineering methods in general and simulation methods in particular can help in gaining new insights in complex systems engineering.

This newly updated book offers a comprehensive introduction to the scope and nature of engineering work, taking a rigorous but common sense approach to the solution of engineering problems. The text follows the planning, modelling and design phases of engineering projects through to implementation or construction, explaining the conceptual framework for undertaking projects, and then providing a range of techniques and tools for solutions. It focuses on engineering design and problem solving, but also involves economic, environmental, social and ethical considerations. This third edition expands significantly on the economic evaluation of projects and also includes a new section on intractable problems and systems, involving a discussion of wicked problems and soft systems methodology as well as the approaches to software development. Further developments include an array of additional interest boxes, worked examples, problems and up-to date references. Case studies and real-world examples are used to illustrate the role of the engineer and especially the methods employed in engineering practice. The examples are drawn particularly from the fields of civil and environmental engineering, but the approaches and techniques are more widely applicable to other branches of engineering. The book is aimed at first-year engineering students, but contains material to suit more advanced undergraduates. It also functions as a professional handbook, covering some of the fundamentals of engineering planning and design in detail.