This book proposes a thorough discussion on how to study economic systems from the perspective of complexity. In particular, the author investigates the relationships between firms, industries, and markets (micro, meso, and macro relationships) in order to offer a better understanding of the main challenges in representing the economy using the complex systems theory. The author argues that the logic of governance in the paradigm of "complex systemic rationality" renounces individuals' subjective hegemony on the organization and their possibility of totally controlling the results of the micro, meso, and macro relationships. These results are not determined exclusively by those (individual or group of individuals) responsible for governing the company. They are also determined by systemic and intersystemic mechanisms which generate paths that go beyond the control of the governing body. The decision-making processes must be able to tolerate the uncertainty linked to the complexity and unknowability of the systemic/intersystemic reality in its entirety, embracing a constructivist approach of the micro, meso, and macro relationships and their mutual interdependencies. Offering a novel perspective, this book contributes to improving our understanding of complex economic systems and how organizations at different levels interact.

Clelia Mazzoni is Full Professor of Management at the Department of Economics of the University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" (Italy). Her main research fields include the communication industry (from media publishing to mobile communication), e-mobility, market segmentation, competitive models, and the systemic analysis of relationships between firms and the environment.

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