Overview

For the past two decades, 'complexity' has informed a range of work across the social sciences. There are diverse schools of complexity thinking, and authors have used these ideas in a multiplicity of ways, from health inequalities to the organization of large scale firms. Some understand complexity as emergence from the rule-based interactions of simple agents and explore it through agent-based modelling. Others argue against such 'restricted complexity' and for the development of case-based narratives deploying a much wider set of approaches and techniques. Major social theorists have been reinterpreted through a complexity lens and the whole methodological programme of the social sciences has been recast in complexity terms.

In four parts, this book seeks to establish 'the state of the art' of complexity-informed social science as it stands now, examining:

  • the key issues in complexity theory
  • the implications of complexity theory for social theory
  • the methodology and methods of complexity theory
  • complexity within disciplines and fields.

It also points ways forward towards a complexity-informed social science for the twenty-first century, investigating the argument for a post-disciplinary, 'open' social science. Byrne and Callaghan consider how this might be developed as a programme of teaching and research within social science. This book will be particularly relevant for, and interesting to, students and scholars of social research methods, social theory, business and organization studies, health, education, urban studies and development studies.


ISBN-13

9780415693684

ISBN-10

0415693683

Weight

1.28 Pounds

Dimensions

6.14 x 0.71 x 9.21 In

List Price

$74.95

Edition

1st Edition

Format

Paperback

Language

English

Pages

304 pages

Publisher

Routledge

Published On

2013-08-07



View All Offers

Sort by:

Condition
Seller
Seller Comments
Price
Used, Very Good
Seller details
Housing Works Online Bookstore
★★★★★

New York, NY, USA

Minimal wear to cover. Pages clean and binding tight. shelf wear. bumped edges. Paperback.
$17.08

 Free delivery by: 30 Mar 2026

Used, Like New
Seller details
Southampton Sag Harbor Books
★★★★★

Southampton, NY, USA

First Edition, First Printing. Published by Routledge, 2014. Octavo. Paperback. Book is like new. ...
$41.24

 Free delivery by: 30 Mar 2026

Used, Good
Seller details
Bonita
★★★★☆

Santa Clarita, CA, USA

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.
$49.89

 Free delivery by: 30 Mar 2026


Bookstores.com relies on cookies to improve your experience.