L. Douglas Kiel, Euel Elliott.
Chaos Theory in the Social Sciences: foundations and applications.
University of Michigan Press. 1996
Chaos Theory In The Social Sciences: Foundations And Applications
offers the most recent thinking in applying the chaos paradigm to the social sciences.
The book explores the methodological techniques—and their difficulties—for
determining whether chaotic processes may in fact exist
in a particular instance and examines implications of chaos theory
when applied specifically to political science, economics, and sociology.
The contributors to the book show that no single technique can be used
to diagnose and describe all chaotic processes and identify
the strengths and limitations of a variety of approaches.
The essays in this volume address a wealth of specific applications of chaos theory, seeking to understand an array of processes from public opinion to the behavior of states in the international arena, from understanding rational economic expectations among individuals to appreciating the complexities of macrolevel long waves. The essays underscore the universal importance of being able to observe the same kind of chaotic processes at radically different levels of analysis. Unique in providing a wide-ranging yet coherent treatment of its subject, Chaos Theory In The Social Sciences succeeds in providing an original discussion of a technical subject that nevertheless can be understood by the nonspecialist.