The overall aim of this book, an outcome of the European FP7 FET Open NESS project, is to contribute to the ongoing effort to put the quantitative social sciences on a proper footing for the 21st century. A key focus is economics, and its implications on policy making, where the still dominant traditional approach increasingly struggles to capture the economic realities we observe in the world today - with vested interests getting too often in the way of real advances. Insights into behavioral economics and modern computing techniques have made possible both the integration of larger information sets and the exploration of disequilibrium behavior. The domain-based chapters of this work illustrate how economic theory is the only branch of social sciences which still holds to its old paradigm of an equilibrium science - an assumption that has already been relaxed in all related fields of research in the light of recent advances in complex and dynamical systems theory and related data mining. The other chapters give various takes on policy and decision making in this context. Written in nontechnical style throughout, with a mix of tutorial and essay-like contributions, this book will benefit all researchers, scientists, professionals and practitioners interested in learning about the 'thinking in complexity' to understand how socio-economic systems really work.

The overall aim of this book, an outcome of the European FP7 FET Open NESS project, is to contribute to the ongoing effort to put the quantitative social sciences on a proper footing for the 21st century. A key focus is economics, and its implications on policy making, where the still dominant traditional approach increasingly struggles to capture the economic realities we observe in the world today - with vested interests getting too often in the way of real advances. Insights into behavioral economics and modern computing techniques have made possible both the integration of larger information sets and the exploration of disequilibrium behavior. The domain-based chapters of this work illustrate how economic theory is the only branch of social sciences which still holds to its old paradigm of an equilibrium science - an assumption that has already been relaxed in all related fields of research in the light of recent advances in complex and dynamical systems theory and related data mining. The other chapters give various takes on policy and decision making in this context. Written in nontechnical style throughout, with a mix of tutorial and essay-like contributions, this book will benefit all researchers, scientists, professionals and practitioners interested in learning about the 'thinking in complexity' to understand how socio-economic systems really work.

This is the essential book on why some businesses fail...and how to avoid it. From the best-selling author of The Death of Economics and Butterfly Economics, this is a ground-breaking look at a truth all too seldom acknowledged: most commercial and public policy ventures will not succeed. Paul Ormerod draws upon recent advances in biology to help us understand the surprising consequences of the Iron Law of Failure. And, he shows what strategies corporations, businesses and governments will need to adopt to stand a chance of prospering in a world where only one thing is certain.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the Second International ICST Conference on Complex Sciences, COMPLEX 2012, held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA in December 2012. The 29 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from various submissions. The papers cover aspects on foundations and analysis of complex systems, complex biological systems, complex social systems, complex engineering systems.

In this cogently and elegantly argued analysis of why human beings persist in engaging in behavior that defies time-honored economic theory, Ormerod also explains why governments and industries throughout the world must completely reconfigure their traditional methods of economic forecasting if they are to succeed and prosper in an increasingly complicated global marketplace.

"Important and ingenious . . . ought to be read by every educated person." —The Spectator.

Renowned British economist Paul Ormerod explodes current economic theory to offer a radical new framework for understanding how human societies and economies really operate. His bold and impassioned arguments about how and why economics should be recast to reflect the current ills of Western society —including unemployment, crime, and poverty —are both persuasive and controversial. Integrating ideas from biology, physics, artificial intelligence, and the behavioral sciences, Ormerod's groundbreaking approach is sure to have far-reaching repercussions.

"A clear, concise, and yet sophisticated history of economic thought that should be required reading for Economics 101 courses. The fundamental challenge is to view the economy more as an organism than a machine and place it in its larger political, social, and moral context." —The Washington Post

"A vigorous, informed, and thoughtful critique of the dismal science." —Kirkus Reviews.

"Crucial reading for the concerned citizen, which ought to mean all of us. . . . This book is very timely indeed." —The Observer

"Economics has some battles to fight. . . . Unless economists improve their ability to analyze and prescribe in an intelligent way, and to provide a modicum of accuracy in their forecasts, the twentieth-century pseudoscience of economics will become a twenty-first-century museum piece." —Sunday Times (London).

Top pay has risen much faster than average pay in the past 20 years. Today there's widespread public concern about the apparent excesses of some pay deals in the corporate sector - although people are more forgiving of the rewards to entrepreneurs, entertainers and sports stars. This collection of essays puts various aspects of this debate under the spotlight. It looks at the role of shareholders in awarding executive pay, examines how pay data are produced and used, and asks whether Long-Term Incentive Plans have created unnecessary inflation of executive pay. It also looks at high pay in the public sector and in areas where government funding plays a major role - such as universities and charities. And it investigates the disparity in pay between men and women among very high earners.