The aspects and the role of diversity in socioeconomic systems: an evolutionary perspective

In an evolutionary perspective, diversity is seen as a systemic and resilie nt property of both biological and socioeconomic systems. Functional aspect s of biological and cultural diversity relate to adaptation to different en vironments, avoidance of head-to-head competition, efficient use of energy and resources, and in providing a range of responses to new selective press ures. Structural aspects of diversity are identified in asymmetric distribu tions of key variables like size, metabolism and complexity, which take the form of skewed distributions and power law across various hierarchical lev els. The existence of functional and structural analogues between biologica l and socioeconomic systems suggests the possibility of similar constraints and propensities of self-organization at work in both systems. These could shed new light on the ongoing process of globalization and economic develo pment. This paper proposes the hypothesis of required socioeconomic diversi ty if systemic coherence and integrity of the world socioeconomic system is to be maintained. The reduction of this diversity below a certain threshol d may provoke a critical instability of the world economic system leading t o collapses of all sizes. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserve d.