Complexity theory in public administration and metagovernance

Abstract

The notion of complexity has been used as unique phenomenon that attempts to define social systems in last 20 years. Societies can be considered natural complex system that featured by multi-actors and nonlinearity, ability to adapt local conditions, self-organizing and coevolution. Through this chapter, three features of complexity theory are going to be used to analyze its application in public administration. In other words, today societies are determined with multi actors, nonlinear relationship of actors, self-organizing and co-evolution. The next part is going to give a brief discussion about relations between civil society and state because civil society as a both actor and independent system that cover huge number of individual actors from complexity theory perspective. The last but not least, how governance perception is changed and then answer of can metagovernance considered as a new way to govern complex societies is seeking. So, through this chapter there is an attempt to understand dynamics of complex societies and its implementation on public administration and civil society and state relationship from eyes of complexity theory and last part would discuss metagovernance as a response to effects of complex societies on public administration.