Journal Articles
Uncertainty, Difficulty, and Complexity
In this article I clarify the often muddled distinctions between uncertainty, difficulty, and complexity and show that
all three can enhance our understanding of institutional performance and design. To cope with uncertainty,
institutions align incentives for information revelation; to handle difficult problems, institutions create incentives for
diverse problem-solving approaches; and to harness complexity, institutions adjust selection criteria, rates of variation, and the level of connectedness. The distinction between complex systems and equilibrium systems also necessitates a discussion of the differences between the existence, stability, and attainment of equilibria and why, despite often being neglected, the latter two concepts are important to our understanding of institutions.
No copy data
No other version available