A COMPLEX ADAPTIVE STATE SYSTEM: NETWORKS, ARMS RACES AND MORAL HAZARDS

Abstract

Much of the debate over stateness in Latin America assumes that states should sustain basic levels of stability, if they cannot, the question is why not. This article departs from the assumption of stability, asking how the relationship between states and other actors has evolved over time. This departure requires a shift in focus: from stateness as referring to states and how they should operate, to stateness as referring to the relationships between states and other actors, how they change over time. The article argues that such relationships can be understood as emergent complex adaptive systems (CAS), considers three specific CAS mechanisms: networks, arms races, moral hazards. This conceptual shift in how to think about states is especially challenging in a region historically accustomed to hierarchical governance. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]