Beyond Quick Fixes: Addressing the Complexity & Uncertainties of Contemporary Society

· Gildan Media · Narrated by Tom Parks
Audiobook
7 hr 47 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook

We seem to be stuck, staring at insurmountable challenges. The pandemic is the opening act for climate change, and we need to get much better at anticipating and preparing for these types of challenges. Simply rebuilding bridges once they fall, or houses once they are swept away, is both expensive and risks human lives. Anticipation and preparation costs more now, but is much less costly over time.



We have managed—or at least reacted to—the Aids epidemic (1981–2013), Internet bubble bursting (2001), the real estate bubble bursting (2007), the opioid epidemic (2017), forest fires on the West Coast (2018), and the coronavirus pandemic (2020). Very recently, we have experienced the fall of Afghanistan (2021), the latest earthquake and hurricane in Haiti (2021), and the attack on Ukraine (2022).



Beyond Quick Fixes steps back from business as usual to rethink how we can approach the complex challenges of contemporary society. Rouse retreats, initially, into the principals of design thinking rather than policy making; he rigorously reconsiders our typical modes of operation and explores alternative ways of thinking about complex problems and potential solutions. The result is an integrated approach to addressing complexity to assist leaders and advisors responsible for addressing these challenges.

About the author

William B. Rouse is research professor in the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. His recent books include Bigger Pictures for Innovation, Transforming Public-Private Ecosystems, Failure Management, and Computing Possible Futures. Since recording his first book for the Kansas Audio Reader Network in 1985, Tom Parks has enjoyed giving voice to stories. He has been nominated for Audie Awards and has received several AudioFile Earphones Awards, and reviewers have described his performances as "conversational," "energetic," and "sincere."

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