METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES FOR SUBSTANTIATING THE INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF A MULTI-LEVEL APPROACH AT THE MICRO, MESO AND MACRO LEVELS AND FORMING A MODEL ARCHITECTURE
Abstract
This article provides a theoretical and methodological basis for the multi-level approach, which examines the interconnections at the micro-meso-macro levels, and develops principles for forming a model architecture taking these interconnections into account. The micro level represents the behavior and local interactions of agents (individuals, business entities, community members); the meso level represents institutions, networks, organizations, technological regimes, and "rule sets"; and the macro level represents a slowly changing context (culture, political-economic landscape, global trends). It is shown that without a clear formalization of inter-level connections (bottom-up, top-down, and co-evolutionary), "inter-dimensional" errors (micro-macro gap, ecological fallacy) arise in explaining and predicting real systems. The article argues that the hierarchical structure and the idea of " near-decomposability " in systems theory serve as a methodological basis for modularizing the model, identifying interfaces and connecting mechanisms. It also proposes an architecture that combines multilevel concepts of social systems, sociotechnical changes and socio-ecological systems.
References
1. Bronfenbrenner, Urie. 1979. The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
2. Coleman, James S. 1990. Foundations of Social Theory . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
3. Epstein, Joshua M. 1999. "Agent-Based Computational Models and Generative Social Science." Complexity 4 (5): 41–60.
4. Geels, Frank W. 2002. "Technological Transitions as Evolutionary Reconfiguration Processes: A Multi-Level Perspective and a Case-Study." Research Policy 31: 1257–1274.
5. Meadows, Donella H. 1999. Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System . Hartland, VT: The Sustainability Institute.
6. Ostrom, Elinor. 2009. "A General Framework for Analyzing Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems." Science 325 (5939): 419–422.
7. Simon, Herbert A. 1962. "The Architecture of Complexity." Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 106 (6): 467–482.
8. Weaver, Warren. 1948. "Science and Complexity." American Scientist 36: 536–544. (Reprinted 2004 in E:CO 6 (3): 65–74.)
