The Cascade Institute treats applied complexity theory as a test-lab for ideas. Concepts, models, and methods are developed here, refined across projects, and then adopted within the Institute’s specific research programs — the global polycrisis, revitalizing and defending democracy, ultradeep geothermal energy, and scale-up and acceleration.
Getting to Enough
Thomas Homer-Dixon on the “enough versus feasible” dilemma — the gap between what is sufficient to address humanity’s predicament and what appears politically achievable — and how societies might close it.
Catastrophic Dehumanization: A formal model
A formal model that seeks to explain the causal mechanisms of sudden dehumanization in situations of extreme conflict. Also listed under the Polycrisis and Democracy programs.
Causal Loop Diagrams Handbook
A practical guide to building and reading causal loop diagrams, the visual grammar underlying much of the Institute’s causal mapping work.
Interface theory (forthcoming)
A forthcoming technical paper developing an “interface theory” — an account of the cognitive load incurred each time people cross an interface between systems. Link to be added on publication.
