Network Logic

Network Logic. Who governs in a interconnected world? Ed. by Helen McCarty et al. Demos, 2004.

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Also at http://www.eldis.org/go/display/?id=15840&type=Document

This is a book of readings on the governance of networks.

Description

"Networks are the language of our times. Think about Al-Qaeda. The internet, eBay, Kazaa. The mobile phone, SMS. Think about iron triangles and old school ties, No Logo and DeanforAmerica. Think VISA and Amex, the teetering electricity grid, the creaking rail network. LHR to LAX. Think about six degrees of separation. Think small worlds, word of mouth.

Think about your networks. Your friends, your colleagues, your social circle. How new networks take shape through introductions at parties, over coffee breaks, via email. How your connections have helped you, supported you and hindered you.

They are all around us. We rely on them. We are threatened by them. We are part of them. Networks shape our world, but they can be confusing: no obvious leader or centre, no familiar structure and no easy diagram to describe them. Networks self-organise, morphing and changing as they react to interference or breakdown. Networks are the language of our times, but our institutions are not programmed to understand them.

As individuals, we have taken advantage of the new connections: to earn, learn, trade and travel. But collectively we don’t understand their logic. Our leaders and decision-makers have often failed to grasp their significance or develop adequate responses. We do not know how to avoid internet viruses or manage mass migration, structure urban communities, regulate global financial markets or combat networked error.

So now we live in a world held together by networks, but lacking the language to solve its common problems.We’re left with a sense of unease – a governance gap that needs to be bridged. This book brings together some of the leading network thinkers and practitioners to help us to do just that."