Social-ecological systems as complex adaptive systems: modeling and policy implications

Simon Levin, Anastasios Xepapadeas, Anne-Sophie Crépin, Jon Norberg, Aart de Zeeuw, Carl Folke, Terry Hughes, Kenneth Arrow, Scott Barrett, Gretchen Daily, Paul Ehrlich, Nils Kautsky, Karl-Göran Mäler, Stephen Polasky, Max Troell, Jeffrey Vincent and Brian Walker

Environment and Development Economics, 2013, vol. 18, issue 2, 111-132

Abstract: Systems linking people and nature, known as social-ecological systems, are increasingly understood as complex adaptive systems. Essential features of these complex adaptive systems – such as nonlinear feedbacks, strategic interactions, individual and spatial heterogeneity, and varying time scales – pose substantial challenges for modeling. However, ignoring these characteristics can distort our picture of how these systems work, causing policies to be less effective or even counterproductive. In this paper we present recent developments in modeling social-ecological systems, illustrate some of these challenges with examples related to coral reefs and grasslands, and identify the implications for economic and policy analysis.

Date: 2013
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (53)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/ ... type/journal_article link to article abstract page (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cup:endeec:v:18:y:2013:i:02:p:111-132_00

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Environment and Development Economics from Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press, UPH, Shaftesbury Road, Cambridge CB2 8BS UK.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Kirk Stebbing ().