Complexity Theory And Public Policy:Applications?Challenges And Methods

With the development of globalization and information technology,the human world is becoming more and more complex and full of risks and uncertainties.In a complex world,the concept of complexity inevitably enters our minds.Complexity theory is generated in natural science,and has made great achievements in the fields of biology,meteorology,physics and so on.Influenced by the research of natural science,the theory of complexity began to enter the field of social science and provided a new field of vision for the research of social science.Before the birth of the theory of complexity,scientific research follows the guidance of the theory of simplicity.The theory of simplicity regards the origin of the world as an atom.This trend of thought makes scientists think that all the world can ultimately be explained at the molecular and atomic level.This thought not only affects the research of natural science,but also deeply affects the research of social science.Influenced by the theory of simplicity,public administration and public policy research use reductionist method to decompose the research objects,so as to identify the key variables that affect the development of things and find the causal laws that affect the development of things.However,with the intensification of the complexity of human society,public policy research are facing great challenges.Complexity theory contains a completely different way of thinking from traditional simplicity theory,which provides a new perspective for public management and public policy research.The article will discuss the feasibility,challenges and methods of introducing complexity theory into public policy research.