Investigation into control of the global social system
Abstract
The paper offers a preliminary hypothesis of how the global system is controlled. Loosely interacting centers of control, together with less well-defined forces, control global social activity. Centers of control include government, international organizations, and informal networks. These forces have maintained relative social stability. However, population and aggregate global consumption are expanding in a fixed global environment, suggesting that aggregate socioeconomic activity is likely to alter the environment sufficiently to destabilize global society. The paper suggests ways in which the engineering community can help reduce the likelihood of global social disruption. Copyright © 2005 IFAC
