Social Synthesis: Finding Dynamic Patterns in Complex Social Systems [Paperback]

List of Boxes

List of Figures

List of Tables

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations

Introduction

Chapter One: Methodology: towards a representation of complex system dynamics

Introduction

Complexity Science

The classical reductionist method

Beyond reductionist science

Sensitivity to initial conditions

Emergence

Autopoiesis

Feedback

Networks

Summarising the influences of complexity theory

Understanding system change as patterns

Complexity in economic systems

Time and Space

Critical Realism

Case similarity and difference

Convergence and divergence

Complex causation

Methodological conclusions

Mixed methods

Conclusions

Chapter Two: the Method - introducing Dynamic Pattern Synthesis (DPS)

Introduction

Cluster Analysis (CA)

Cluster Analysis: specific approaches

Distance measures

Hierarchical and non-hierarchical cluster analysis

Clustering algorithms

Dendrogram charts

Icicle chart

Using SPSS to calculate and compare cluster methods

Further considerations of the effects of clustering algorithms

Understanding variable relationships within cluster formulation

Repeating Cluster Analysis over time

Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)

Crisp set QCA

Accounting for time in case based methods <lJ