Network logic: who governs in an interconnected world?

From the Internet to Al Qaeda, the teetering electricity grid to old school ties, we live in a world of networks. A profoundly disruptive shift has occurred in our societies, making networks the most important organisational form of our time and reshaping the activities of families, governments and businesses. This collection of essays tries to understand the patterns and impacts of networks, their potential for organisation and decision-making, and how they make possible new forms of coordination and collective action. It looks at important lessons from the study of networks and addresses some of the critical questions that our 'network society' presents: from the distribution of power and inequality to the future of civic participation and the impact of new technologies. Essays include:

• Living Networks - Fritjof Capra.
  
• Towards a Theory of Government - Karen Stephenson.
  
• Connexity Revisited - Geoff Mulgan.
  
• Untangling the Threads - Ann Lieberman and Diane Wood.
  
• Networks, Knowledge and Innovation - David H. Hargreaves.
  
• Leading Between - Paul Skidmore.
  
• The Science of Inequality - Mark Buchanan.
  
• Old Boys and New Girls - Helen McCarthy.
  
• Your Friendship Networks - Perri 6.
  
• Developing the Well Connected Community - Alison Gilchrist.
  
• Networks and Neighbourhoods - Robert J. Sampson.
  
• Organising for Success - Diane Coyle.
  
• The Information Utility - John Taylor.
  
• Smart Mobs - Howard Rheingold.
  
• The Rise of Network Campaigning - Paul Miller.
  
• Why Networks Matter - Manuel Castells.

(From Eldis)