[This is the preprint version as it’s accessible]

18 Nov 2025

Timo Hamalainen

SITRA – Finnish Innovation Fund

Date Written: August 28, 2025

Abstract

The current polycrisis creates fundamental anxiety and uncertainty in societies. Individuals, organizations, governments and multinational institutions are struggling with the increasingly complex and uncertain environment without a clear vision of how to govern or renew their institutions. This paper analyzes the root causes of polycrisis and provides a framework for adaptive governance at different levels of society. The framework is based on the Law of Requisite Variety and shared transformative learning processes. It provides governance principles for social innovators who develop sustainable governance solutions for the future. These principles are elaborated with a case study on the Brainport-Eindhoven innovation ecosystem.

Keywords: Complexity, Polycrisis, Governance, Cybernetics, Learning

Suggested Citation:

Hamalainen, Timo, Polycrisis: Root Causes and Governance Solutions (August 28, 2025). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5742823 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5742823