Author Archives: Elisabeth Dostal

Current logic thinking: within the Institute for Futures Research (IFR) we studied South Africa’s societal, technological and ecological trends, many of them indicating deteriorating problems. We observed that the various societal problems mutually co-produce each other and that one cannot … Continue reading →

Relative figures are another irritating source of confusion. Many researchers and / or reporters on research argue with relative figures without giving the absolute ones at the same time. In the context of poverty, this often means a relative decline … Continue reading →

Without knowing the assumptions on which the statistics are based (e.g. different definitions of poverty, different assumptions concerning future economic or demographic developments) one cannot evaluate them. Knowing the assumptions, one can understand their differences. For example, at the time … Continue reading →

Transversal issues: a colleague recently made a study of the different approaches, outcomes and insights on poverty research by experts from different universities. He was concerned about the alarming divergence in statistics and what to do about it. Oh, déjà vu: … Continue reading →

Open-endedness of systemic research: systems thinking emphasises learning as a driving force of change. Learning allows systems to adapt to a changing environment and to co-produce deliberate change in itself and its environment. Systems use iteration with the environment and … Continue reading →

A neutral (i.e. value free) observer so as to not affect the research outcomes is a corner stone of traditional philosophy of science. Although this is increasingly challenged (especially in researching systems in the psycho-sociosphere) and new approaches that involve … Continue reading →

Students who want to do research relating to what one could loosely refer to as the “new research paradigm” encounter problems with finding promoters and a disciplinary and even interdisciplinary “home”. Amongst others, this type of research includes issues spanning … Continue reading →

All issues involving social systems are multi-dimensional (i.e. have a psychological, cultural, economic, political, technological, ecological, biological and physical dimension) and span levels (e.g. planetary, international, national, institutional, organisational, community, individual, physiological, cellular, physical). Rarely can one dismiss one of … Continue reading →

I recently attended a PhD colloquium with about twenty selected students from different countries and disciplines. It was organised in the context of a leadership conference and therefore the topics related to societal change. As the students presented their proposals, … Continue reading →