Societies Saving Themselves

This book argues that crises in capitalism and democracy can be addressed through systematic coordinated inter-organizational networks, which it abbreviates as scions. It goes beyond existing models from economics and political science to propose a new model of societal coordination, one that builds cooperation and trust while tackling complex practical problems.

The author explains how scions can quickly spark organizational change among the members of an inter-organizational network. The book also supplies a general framework for describing change at both the individual and the organizational level.

The theory is applied in an extended case study of the rebuilding of the rural health care system in Nicaragua after Hurricane Mitch. The chapters offer lessons for public health program managers and contribute to the literatures on modes of coordination and on social capital.

The book is suited to upper-division courses on management, inter-organizational collaboration, crisis management and public health.