Government Systems

In the years following her role as the lead author of the international best seller, Limits to Growth - the first book to show the consequences of unchecked growth on a finite planet - Donella Meadows remained a pioneer of environmental and social analysis until her untimely death in 2001. Thinking in Systems is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problem-solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. Edited by the Sustainability Institute's Diana Wright, this essential primer brings systems thinking out of the realm of computers and equations and into the tangible world....

All Systems Red is the tense first science fiction adventure novella in Martha Wells' series The Murderbot Diaries. For fans of Westworld, Ex Machina, Ann Leckie's Imperial Raadch series, or Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. The main character is a deadly security droid that has bucked its restrictive programming and is balanced between contemplative self-discovery and an idle instinct to kill all humans.

From the bestselling author of Saving Capitalism and The Common Good, comes an urgent analysis of how the "rigged" systems of American politics and power operate, how this status quo came to be, and how average citizens can enact change. There is a mounting sense that our political-economic...

For over 100 years, thousands of Aboriginal children passed through the Canadian residential school system. Begun in the 1870s, it was intended, in the words of government officials, to bring these children into the “circle of civilization,” the results, however, were far different. More often, the schools provided an inferior education in an atmosphere of neglect, disease, and often abuse. Using previously unreleased government documents, historian John S. Milloy provides a full picture of the history and reality of the residential school system.

A decade ago, developers built information-sharing software by writing a lot of custom code in a single code base, then adding layers of caching. Now we build information systems: interdependent software and services, data platforms, and event streams. Many of our software-to-systems initiatives fail, though, and when they do, we double down on traditional linear approaches. But linear thinking cannot resolve systems challenges. We need to shift to systems thinking.

Learn how to successfully emerge from complex crisis conditions with this practical, comprehensive guide. "A book I wish I’d had in difficult times.” —General Stanley McChrystal, US Army (Ret) & Co-Founder and CEO, McChrystal Group When the system breaks, what do you do? You're in the...

Despite being immensely popular - and immensely lucrative - education is grossly overrated. In this explosive book, Bryan Caplan argues that the primary function of education is not to enhance students' skill but to certify their intelligence, work ethic, and conformity - in other words, to signal the qualities of a good employee.

Comprenez enfin les rouages de l'économie et de la finance et leur impact concret sur votre quotidien comme sur le destin du monde... Que se passe-t-il lorsque je contracte un emprunt ? D'où vient l'argent que me prête la banque ? Qu'appelle-t-on la dette ? Qu'est-ce qu'une obligation ? Pourquoi les États veulent-ils absolument "sauver" les banques ? Et pourquoi est-il urgent que nous, citoyens, comprenions les rouages de l'économie et de la finance ?

In World-Systems Analysis, Immanuel Wallerstein provides a concise and accessible introduction to the comprehensive approach that he pioneered 30 years ago to understanding the history and development of the modern world. Since Wallerstein first developed world-systems analysis, it has become a widely utilized methodology within the historical social sciences and a common point of reference in discussions of globalization.

A compelling new set of interviews on our changing and turbulent times with Noam Chomsky, one of the world's foremost thinkers In this collection of conversations, conducted from 2010 to 2012, Noam Chomsky explores the most immediate and urgent concerns: the future of democracy in the Arab world...

Learn about the development of the Jury System with iMindsJNR audio learning series for younger minds. When someone accused of a crime goes to court, a decision is made on whether or not to punish them. This is done by either a judge or a jury. A judge has a job in law. But a jury is a group of everyday people who work together to decide if a suspect is innocent or guilty. Whether or not a jury is used depends on the matter being heard.

What if everything we thought we knew about conflict and cooperation was backwards? For centuries, philosophers, economists, and scientists have asked: why do humans cooperate? The question assumes that conflict is natural and cooperation is the puzzle requiring explanation. This groundbreaking book inverts that assumption entirely. Drawing on evolutionary game theory, Nobel Prize-winning research on commons governance, and evidence from biology to artificial intelligence, A Unified Theory of Self-Organizing Systems presents a radical reframing.

An accessible guide for activists, educators, and all who are interested in understanding how the prison system oppresses communities and harms individuals. The United States incarcerates more of its residents than any other nation. Though home to 5% of the global population, the United States...

After years of ill health, capitalism is now in a critical condition. Growth has given way to stagnation; inequality is leading to instability; and confidence in the money economy has all but evaporated. In How Will Capitalism End?, the acclaimed analyst of contemporary politics and economics Wolfgang Streeck argues the world is about to change.

Donald Trump promised the American people a transformative change in economic policy after eight years of stagnation under Obama. But he didn’t adopt a conventional left or right economic agenda. His is a new economic populism that combines some conventional Republican ideas–tax cuts...

How do we do effective, sustainable social change…without burning out, internalizing systemic toxicity, or replicating urgency culture? A trauma-informed anthology with contributions from 13 activists and community organizers—for readers of adrienne maree brown, Staci K. Haines, and Ejeris...

A narrative of personal experiences and observations, A Tale of Two Systems is the honest diary of someone who has experienced two opposite governmental systems side by side. Comparing the two cultures in a compelling and personal way, it is a powerful insight into what life’s really like under two opposing systems. In A Tale of Two Systems, you’ll find a rich and engaging narrative detailing exactly what it’s like to transition between Communism and democracy.

We have entered an age of disruption. Financial collapse, climate change, resource depletion, and a growing gap between rich and poor are but a few of the signs. Otto Scharmer and Katrin Kaufer ask, why do we collectively create results nobody wants? Meeting the challenges of this century requires updating our economic logic and operating system from an obsolete “ego-system” focused entirely on the well-being of oneself to an eco-system awareness that emphasizes the well-being of the whole.

Deutschland: Wege zum Wiederaufstieg Das Betriebssystem der alten Bundesrepublik funktioniert nicht mehr. Die Folge: Eine in ihrer Substanz großartige Wirtschaftsnation steigt ab. Wir erleben eine Kernschmelze im Innersten unseres produktiven Kerns. Wider die in den Medien gepflegte Verzagtheit zeigt Steingart einen Weg auf, der das Aufstiegsversprechen erneuert. Sein Buch liefert nichts Geringeres als die Betriebsanleitung für den Wiederaufstieg. Ein Hörbuch für alle, die es gut meinen mit der deutschen Demokratie.

You might not care about politics… but politics sure as hell cares about you.
Your bills, your job, your rent, your rights – all shaped by decisions made in rooms you’re never invited into. This isn’t some boring textbook full of waffle. It’s a straight-talking guide to how the system really works – and why it doesn’t work for people like us.