Angeli, Federica and Montefusco, Andrea (2020) Sensemaking and Learning during the Covid-19 Pandemic:a Complex Adaptive Systems Perspective on Policy Decision-Making. World Development. 105106. ISSN 0305-750X
Abstract
Governments worldwide are under enormous pressure to effectively and promptly address the increasingly complex crisis presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. To understand the difficulties inherent to policymakers’ sensemaking and learning processes during this unprecedented challenge, this article develops a perspective rooted in complexity theory. We highlight that, just as complex adaptive systems, societies affected by the pandemic and by the subsequent containment policies present non-linear and unpredictable outcomes, which highly depend on the social systems’ initial states and on the behavioral rules governing the actions and interactions of the agents composing the systems. This analysis underlines that any decision-making process in a highly complex crisis such as the Covid-19 pandemic is inherently inaccurate and short-sighted. Far, however, from suggesting a policy paralysis, with this perspective we highlight the need to embed complexity thinking in policy decision-making and we present a roadmap for learning based on a flexible and adaptive approach, locally optimal solutions, and the need for international cooperation and transparent dissemination of data.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Social Sciences (York) > The York Management School |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 24 Jul 2020 08:40 |
Last Modified: | 08 Feb 2025 00:39 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105106 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105106 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:163745 |
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Description: World Development _accepted manuscript
Licence: CC-BY-NC-ND 2.5
Filename: World_Development_accepted_manuscript.pdf
Description: World Development _accepted manuscript
Licence: CC-BY-ND 2.5