System Effects :Complexity in Political and Social Life

4.02 ( 63 Ratings by Goodreads)
System Effects

System Effects :Complexity in Political and Social Life

(Author)
4.02 (63 Ratings by Goodreads)
paperback
Published: 9 March, 1999
Standard worldwide delivery by Mon, June 29 - Thu, July 2
Order within 0
Condition: NEW
$62.86
RRP $69.73
You save $6.87 (10%)
Price includes shipping
Available 2 in stock
- +
Add to basket Wishlist This
FREE Returns within 30 days
More Details

Popular Books by Robert Jervis

View All Books by Robert Jervis
Perception and Misperception in International Politics
Perception and Misperception in International Politics
Robert Jervis
$38.01 $40.23
New
Add to basket
Psychology and Deterrence
Psychology and Deterrence
Robert Jervis
$35.84
New
Add to basket
How Statesmen Think
How Statesmen Think
Robert Jervis
$39.14 $40.23
New
Add to basket
Chaos in the Liberal Order
Chaos in the Liberal Order
Robert Jervis
$12.32 $46.93
Used
Add to basket
The Origin and Prevention of Major Wars
The Origin and Prevention of Major Wars
Robert Jervis
$47.21
New
Add to basket
The 2007 Iran Nuclear Estimate Revisited
The 2007 Iran Nuclear Estimate Revisited
Robert Jervis
$54.48 $56.30
New
Add to basket
The Logic of Images in International Relations
The Logic of Images in International Relations
Robert Jervis
$55.22
New
Add to basket
Reforming Intelligence
Reforming Intelligence
Robert Jervis
$58.05
New
Add to basket
The Meaning of the Nuclear Revolution
The Meaning of the Nuclear Revolution
Robert Jervis
$86.58
New
Add to basket
American Foreign Policy in a New Era
American Foreign Policy in a New Era
Robert Jervis
$49.09 $50.94
New
Add to basket

Description

Based on more than three decades of observation, Robert Jervis concludes in this provocative book that the very foundations of many social science theories--especially those in political science--are faulty. Taking insights from complexity theory as his point of departure, the author observes that we live in a world where things are interconnected, where unintended consequences of our actions are unavoidable and unpredictable, and where the total effect of behavior is not equal to the sum of individual actions. Jervis draws on a wide range of human endeavors to illustrate the nature of these system effects. He shows how increasing airport security might actually cost lives, not save them, and how removing dead trees (ostensibly to give living trees more room) may damage the health of an entire forest. Similarly, he highlights the interconnectedness of the political world as he describes how the Cold War played out and as he narrates the series of events--with their unintended consequences--that escalated into World War I. The ramifications of developing a rigorous understanding of politics are immense, as Jervis demonstrates in his critique of current systemic theories of international politics--especially the influential work done by Kenneth Waltz. Jervis goes on to examine various types of negative and positive feedback, bargaining in different types of relationships, and the polarizing effects of alignments to begin building a foundation for a more realistic, more nuanced, theory of international politics. System Effects concludes by examining what it means to act in a system. It shows how political actors might modify their behavior in anticipation of system effects, and it explores how systemic theories of political behavior might account for the role of anticipation and strategy in political action. This work introduces powerful new concepts that will reward not only international relations theorists, but also all social scientists with interests in comparative politics and political theory.
Prizes

Runner-up for Choice Magazine Outstanding Reference/Academic Book Award 1998,Runner-up for AAP/Professional and Scholarly Publishing Awards: Government and Political Science 1997

See more

More Details

Type Book
ISBN13 9780691005300
ISBN10 0691005303
Number Of Pages 328
Item Weight 482 g
Publisher / Reseller Princeton University Press
Format paperback
See More +

Media Reviews

Co-Winner of the 1998 Best Book Award, Political Psychology Section of the American Political Science Association Winner of the 1998 Lionel Trilling Award, Columbia University Honorable Mention for the 1997 Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in Government and Political Science, Association of American Publishers One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 1998 "Drawing on a diverse body of scholarly research and a wealth of illuminating examples, Jervis shows that 'system effects' are an important and often overlooked part of social and political life... His insights will capture the imagination of those who puzzle over other social problems as well... Viewed as a whole, System Effects offers a sobering and valuable moral."--Steven M. Walt, The Atlantic Monthly "There are few doubts that System Effects is an important and timely book, one that should be studied closely not only by Foreign Offices, but by all people faced with the task of making decisions while uncertain about the consequences of alternative actions--and such people make a very large readership indeed."--Zygmunt Bauman, The Times Literary Supplement

Show more

GoodReads Reviews

Author's Bio

Robert Jervis is Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics at Columbia University. He is the author of numerous books, including Perception and Misperception in International Politics (Princeton).

Show more