Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Concept of ‘Co-evolution’ and Its Application in the Social Sciences: A Review of the Literature

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Co-evolution of Intelligent Socio-technical Systems

Part of the book series: Understanding Complex Systems ((UCS))

Abstract

The Oxford Dictionary online defines co-evolution as a term originating in biology, meaning “the influence of closely associated species on each other in their evolution”. Ehrlich and Raven [10] first used the term co-evolution in reference to biological evolution when looking at the relationship between the patterns of evolution of plants and butterflies, stating that it describes the simultaneous, reciprocal evolution of interacting populations. Reciprocity is an element of co-evolutionary relationships stressed by all definitions in the literature. In biology, co-evolution refers to the change of a biological entity triggered by the change of a related entity [42]. Each entity exerts certain pressures and influences over the other, affecting the evolutionary trajectory of each.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Aarden, E., Van Hoyweghen, I., Horstman, K., Vos, R.: Learning from co-evolution of policy and technology: different PGDs [pre-implementation genetic diagnoses] in the Netherlands, Germany and Britain. J. Comp. Policy Anal. 10(2), 191–205 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Allen, P.M.: A complex systems approach to learning, adaptive networks. Int. J. Innov. Manage. 5, 149–180 (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Arthur, W.B.: Complexity and the economy. In: Colander, D. (ed.) The Complexity Vision and the Teaching of Economics, pp. 19–28. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Arthur, W.B., Durlauf, S.N., Lane, D.A. (eds.): The Economy as an Evolving Complex System. Proceedings of the Santa Fe Institute, Vol. XXVII. Addison-Wesley, Reading (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Axtell, R.L.: The New Coevolution of Information Science and Social Science: From Software Agents to Artificial Societies and Back or How More Computing Became Different Computing. Center on Social and Economic Dynamics, The Brookings Institution. www.econ.iastate.edu/tesfatsi/compsoc.axtell.pdf (2003)

  6. Axtell, R.L.: The new co-evolution of engineering systems and the social sciences, presented at Engineering Systems Symposium, Cambridge, 31 March 2004

    Google Scholar 

  7. Benbya, H., McKelvey, B.: Toward a complexity theory of information systems development. Inform. Technol. People 19(1), 12–34 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Benbya, H., McKelvey, B.: Using coevolutionary and complexity theories to improve IS alignment: a multi-level approach. J. Inform. Technol. 21, 284–298 (2006a)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. D’Hondt, T., De Volder, K.K.M., Wuyts, R.: Co-evolution of object-oriented software design and implementation. Kluwer Int. Ser. Eng.Comput. Sci. 648(2), 207–224 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Ehrlich, P.R., Raven, P.H.: Butterflies and plants: a study in coevolution. Evolution 18, 586–608 (1964)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Elsner, W.: The process and a simple logic of ‘meso’. Emergence and the co-evolution of institutions and group size. J. Evol. Econ. 20, 445–477 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Fatas-villafranca, F., Sanchez, J., Jarne, G. : Industrial leadership in science-based industries: a coevolution model. Paper presented at the DRUID Summer Conference on Appropriability, Proximity, Routines and Innovation, Copenhagen, 18–20 June 2007

    Google Scholar 

  13. Gowdy, J.: Coevolutionary economics: the economy, society and the environment. Series: Nat. Resour. Manage. Policy 5, Springer, (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Gual, M.A., Norgaard, R.B.: Bridging ecological and social systems coevolution: a review and proposal. Ecol. Econ. 69(4), 707–717 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Jeffares, B.: The co-evolution of tools and minds: cognition and material culture in the hominin lineage. Phenomenol. Cogn. Sci. 9, 503–520 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Juarrero, A.: Causality as constraint. In: Van de Vijver, G., Salthe, S.N., Delpos, M. (eds.) Evolutionary systems: biological and epistemological perspectives on selection and self-organization, pp. 233–242. Kluwer, Dordrecht (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Kallis, G.: Socio-environmental coevolution: towards an analytical approach. Int. J. Sustain. Dev. World Ecol. 14, 9–19 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Kallis, G., Norgaard, R.B.: Coevolutionary ecological economics. Ecol. Econ. 69, 690–699 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Kauffman, S.A.: The origins of order: self-organization and selection in evolution. Oxford University Press, New York (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Kim, R.M., Kaplan, S.M.: Interpreting socio-technical co-evolution: applying complex adaptive systems to IS engagement. Inform. Technol. People 19(1), 35–54 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Lewin, A.Y., Volberda, H.W.: Prolegomena on coevolution: a framework for research on strategy and new organizational forms. Organ. Sci. 10(5), 519–534 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Lorenz, E.N.: Atmospheric predictability as revealed by naturally occurring analogues. J. Atmos. Sci. 26, 636–646 (1969)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Maruyama, M.: The second cybernetics: deviation-amplifying mutual causal processes. Am. Sci. 51, 164–179 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

  24. McKelvey, B.: Managing coevolutionary dynamics. Paper presented at the 18th EGOS Conference, Barcelona, 4–6 July 2002

    Google Scholar 

  25. Mitleton-Kelly, E., Papaefthimiou, M.C.: Co-evolution and an enabling infrastructure: a solution to legacy? In: Henderson, P. (ed.) Systems Engineering for Business Process Change, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, ISBN-1-85233-222-0 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Mitleton-Kelly, E.: Ten principles of complexity & enabling infrastructures. In: Mitleton-Kelly, E. (ed.) Complex Systems & Evolutionary Perspectives of Organisations: The Application of Complexity Theory to Organisations. Elsevier, ISBN 0-08-043957-8 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Mitleton-Kelly, E. Co-evolutionary integration: a complexity perspective on mergers & acquisitions. In: Aaltonen, M. (ed.) Complexity as a Sensemaking Framework. Finland Futures Research Centre Publications, 4/2005 (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Mitleton-Kelly, E.: Co-evolutionary integration: the co-creation of a new organizational form following a merger and acquisition. Emerg. Complex. Organ. 8(2), (E:CO 8.2) (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Mitleton-Kelly, E.: (2011). Identifying the Multi-Dimensional Problem Space & Co-creating an Enabling Environment’, ch 2. In: Tait, A., Richardson, K.A. (eds.) Moving Forward with Complexity: Proceedings of the 1st International Workshop on Complex Systems Thinking and Real World Applications, pp. 21–44. ISBN 9780984216598, Emergent Publications (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Murray, J.H.: Toward a cultural theory of gaming: digital games and the co-evolution of media, mind, and culture, popular communication. Int. J. Media Cult. 4(3), 185–202 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Noailly, J.: Coevolution of economic and ecological systems: an application to agricultural pesticide resistance. J. Evol. Econ. 18, 1–29 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Norgaard, R.B.: Sociosystem and ecosystem coevolution in the Amazon. J. Environ. Econ. Manage. 8(3), 238–254 (1981)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Norgaard, R.B.: Coevolutionary agricultural development. Econ. Dev. Cult. Change 32(3), 525–546 (1984)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Prud’homme van Reine, P., Dankbaar, B.: A virtuous circle? Coevolution of regional and corporate cultures. Eur. Plann. Stud. 19(11), 1865–1883 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Raven, P.H., Johnson, G.B.: Biology. Times Mirror/Mosby College, St. Louis (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  36. Sæthera, B., Isaksenb, A., Karlsen, A.: Innovation by co-evolution in natural resource industries: the Norwegian experience. Geoforum 42(3), 373–381 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Schellnhuber, H.J.: “Earth system” analysis and the second Copernican revolution. Nature 402(6761), 19–23 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Song, F., Thakor, A.V.: Financial system architecture and the co-evolution of banks and capital markets. Econ. J. 120, 1021–1055 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Thommen, B., Wettstein, A.: Culture as the co-evolution of psychic and social systems: new perspectives on the person–environment relationship. Cult. Psychol. 16(2), 213–241 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Thompson, N.J.: Coevolution. In: Pagel, M. (ed.) Encyclopedia of evolution. Oxford University Press, Oxford (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  41. Weisz, H., Clark, E.: Society-nature coevolution: interdisciplinary concept for sustainability. Geogr. Ann. B Hum. Geogr. 93(4), 281–287 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Yip, K.Y., Patel, P., Kim, P.M., Engelman, D.M., McDermott, D., Gerstein, M.: An integrated system for studying residue coevolution in proteins. Bioinformatics 24(2), 290–292 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Cairns, J.: Sustainable co-evolution. Int. J. Sust. Dev. World Ecol. 14(1), 103–108 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The London School of Economics and Political Science, Complexity Research Group, London, UK

    Eve Mitleton-Kelly & Laura K. Davy

Authors
  1. Eve Mitleton-Kelly
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Laura K. Davy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Eve Mitleton-Kelly .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Political Science, Complexity Research Group, The London School of Economics and, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom

    Evangelia Mitleton-Kelly

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Mitleton-Kelly, E., Davy, L.K. (2013). The Concept of ‘Co-evolution’ and Its Application in the Social Sciences: A Review of the Literature. In: Mitleton-Kelly, E. (eds) Co-evolution of Intelligent Socio-technical Systems. Understanding Complex Systems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36614-7_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36614-7_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-36613-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-36614-7

  • eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation