"In many fields, policymakers seem to have an increasing preference for simple, large, non- redundant systems of analysis and governance. To address this question, we examine several arenas in which scholars have studied the costs and benefits of different levels of redundancy, including: ecological resiliency, computer design, aircraft design, genetics and genetic algorithms, condercet jury theory, and regulatory regimes. Both empirical data and models suggest that a simple prescription is, at best, premature--bigger and less redundant may not always be 'better.' We find that several kinds of costs and benefits must be considered, and they do not co- vary uniformly with size and redundancy. We suggest that a better approach is to ask: For any system, what is the optimal level of redundancy?"
CITATION STYLE
Low, B., Ostrom, E., Simon, C., & Wilson, J. (2009). Redundancy and diversity: do they influence optimal management? In Navigating Social-Ecological Systems (pp. 83–114). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511541957.007
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