Optimising for prosperity with a meta-framework for change

Stormonth-Darling, John M; (2022)

Change is persistent, and provisioning for prosperity in this complex dynamic world is not a simple task. Sustaining the conditions which enable certain prosperities can come at the expense of others whilst undermining the biophysical foundations required for all. In this paper I explore the tension between this need for sustainment and the inevitability of change by examining several conceptualisations and formalised frameworks for change which range from the holistic to the mechanistic. I find that both prosperity and resilience in human systems are contingent on the skilful nurturing of the novelty emergent from the great diversity of knowledges at our collective disposal. With this assertion in hand, I attempt to design and assemble a meta-framework for change that can describe our dynamic world and gesture it towards a future of equitably co-existing prosperities through a craft of emergence. Following this and a hypothetical example of the meta-framework in action, I conclude that it can indeed be a useful tool provided it can bare the weight of further scrutiny and integration with other approaches.
 

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