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Infrastructure transitions towards sustainability: a complex adaptive systems perspective

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  • Kerry Brown
  • Craig Furneaux
  • Amanda Gudmundsson

Abstract

To ensure infrastructure assets are procured and maintained by government on behalf of citizens, appropriate policy and institutional architecture are needed, particularly if a fundamental shift to more sustainable infrastructure is the goal. The shift in recent years from competitive and resource-intensive procurement to more collaborative and sustainable approaches to infrastructure governance is considered a major transition in infrastructure procurement systems. In order to better understand this transition in infrastructure procurement arrangements, the concept of emergence from complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory is offered as a key construct. Emergence holds that micro interactions can result in emergent macro order. Applying the concept of emergence to infrastructure procurement, this research examines how interaction of agents in individual projects can result in different industry structural characteristics. The paper concludes that CAS theory, and particularly the concept of 'emergence', provides a useful construct to understand infrastructure procurement dynamics and progress towards sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Kerry Brown & Craig Furneaux & Amanda Gudmundsson, 2012. "Infrastructure transitions towards sustainability: a complex adaptive systems perspective," International Journal of Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 15(1/2), pages 54-71.
    • Handle: RePEc:ids:ijsusd:v:15:y:2012:i:1/2:p:54-71
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Geels, Frank W., 2002. "Technological transitions as evolutionary reconfiguration processes: a multi-level perspective and a case-study," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(8-9), pages 1257-1274, December.
    2. Geels, Frank W., 2004. "From sectoral systems of innovation to socio-technical systems: Insights about dynamics and change from sociology and institutional theory," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(6-7), pages 897-920, September.
    3. Vanberg, Viktor & Buchanan, James M, 1986. "Organization Theory and Fiscal Economics: Society, State, and Public Debt," The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 2(2), pages 215-227, Fall.
    4. Geert R. Teisman & Erik-Hans Klijn, 2008. "Complexity Theory and Public Management," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(3), pages 287-297, May.
    5. Craig W. Furneaux & Kerry Brown & Don Allan, 2008. "Public Values Embedded in Australian Public Works Procurement," Public Money & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(3), pages 167-172, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Paul Brous & Marijn Janssen & Paulien Herder, 2019. "Next Generation Data Infrastructures: Towards an Extendable Model of the Asset Management Data Infrastructure as Complex Adaptive System," Complexity, Hindawi, vol. 2019, pages 1-17, February.

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