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The social, the ecological, and the adaptive. Von Bertalanffy's general systems theory and the adaptive governance of social‐ecological systems

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  • Kristof Van Assche
  • Gert Verschraegen
  • Vladislav Valentinov
  • Monica Gruezmacher

Abstract

Based on biological insights, Ludwig von Bertalanffy coined general systems theory (GST) and later expanded his perspective, exploring what GST could mean for other disciplines and other types of systems. We make a case for the relevance, or rather, the importance, of GST for coming to a new understanding of the resilience of social‐ecological systems and the possible forms of adaptive governance that might increase such resilience. After analyzing the conceptual structure of the resilience paradigm and of GST, we identify concepts in resilience thinking where GST provides new confirmation or modifies the perspective: complexity, evolution, self‐organization, and adaptation. We discuss post‐Bertalanffy developments in the interdisciplinary and twinned fields of systems theory and complexity studies that can provide bridging concepts between GST and resilience thinking. In conclusion, we emphasize the need for both cognitive and institutional resilience to foster adaptive governance. We highlight the management of couplings between systems and the switching between forms of understanding and forms of organization, where self‐organization and more centralized forms of steering can alternate and combine.

Suggested Citation

  • Kristof Van Assche & Gert Verschraegen & Vladislav Valentinov & Monica Gruezmacher, 2019. "The social, the ecological, and the adaptive. Von Bertalanffy's general systems theory and the adaptive governance of social‐ecological systems," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(3), pages 308-321, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:srbeha:v:36:y:2019:i:3:p:308-321
    DOI: 10.1002/sres.2587
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Carlo Rega & Alessandro Bonifazi, 2020. "The Rise of Resilience in Spatial Planning: A Journey through Disciplinary Boundaries and Contested Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-18, September.
    2. Mykolas Simas Poškus & Lina Jovarauskaitė & Audra Balundė, 2021. "A Systematic Review of Drivers of Sustainable Wastewater Treatment Technology Adoption," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-11, July.
    3. Roel During & Kristof Van Assche & Rosalie Van Dam, 2022. "Relating Social and Ecological Resilience: Dutch Citizen’s Initiatives for Biodiversity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-20, March.
    4. Prateep Kumar Nayak & Fikret Berkes, 2022. "Evolutionary Perspectives on the Commons: A Model of Commonisation and Decommonisation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-15, April.
    5. Kristof Van Assche & Martijn Duineveld & Monica Gruezmacher & Raoul Beunen, 2021. "Steering as Path Creation: Leadership and the Art of Managing Dependencies and Reality Effects," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(2), pages 369-380.
    6. Shengzhu Li & Fan Jiang, 2022. "A collaborative evolutionary model: the self-organizing evolutionary process of urban–rural digital sharing system of social public resources," Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination, Springer;Society for Economic Science with Heterogeneous Interacting Agents, vol. 17(4), pages 1115-1137, October.
    7. van Assche, Kristof & Valentinov, Vladislav & Verschraegen, Gert, 2022. "Adaptive governance: Learning from what organizations do and managing the role they play," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 51(5), pages 1738-1758.
    8. Francesco Tramonti & Franco Giorgi & Annibale Fanali, 2021. "Systems thinking and the biopsychosocial approach: A multilevel framework for patient‐centred care," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(2), pages 215-230, March.
    9. Pang, Dezhi & Jin, Xin & Zheng, Kengcheng & Tien, Nguyen Hoang, 2024. "A road toward green growth: Optimizing the role of mineral resources, fintech innovation and effective governance in G-20 economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).

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