FOCUS mid term symposium

1. Small World – World Systems
...and the polity options for a central Empire

2. What is World System Theory?
• World Systems are networks operating on:
• 1 Information exchange
• 2 Politically and military interactions
• 3 Prestige good exchange
• 4 Bulk good exchange.
Their system behavior can be predicted (cliodynamics)
e.g. by comparative World System assessment (there
have been more than one at a time)

3. What is the Small World Theory?
• Small Worlds is a mathematic model of networks
(Watts, Strogats, etc.)
• Sociology: The friend of your friend is your
friend (clustering effect)
• Link to World System Theory:
– „trade diasporas“ and „trade ecumenes“ within World Systems as
examples of small worlds
– Presented first at the symposium „Nomadism and Mobile ways of life in
the Américas“, Urania, Feb. 15 to 17, 2012 by the present author.
• http://www.konak-wien.org/Nomadism/nomadism.htm

4. Hazard to European Union - as identified by
World System Theory
• An Empire is a World System under a
central authority‘s aegis
– This requires a mono-centric World System
i.e. one core, one semi-periphery and one
periphery.
– Polities to dominate the WS are usually
situated on the periphery of their respective
politically defined WS.
• European Union not at a periphery defined
by socioeconomic gradients.

5. Classical Empires
• Rome, Semiperiphery of the Hellenic WS
• Spain, Semiperiphery plus frontier of
Europe
• Great Britain: Semiperiphery and no
interest in getting entangled into
Continental Affairs („splendid isolation“)
• USA: Semiperiphery-Periphery gradient to
the frontier (defined by Victor Turner)

6. Typical carreer of Empires in time:
• Semiperipherical polity
• Imperialistic expansion and internal
transformation (Rome: Hannibal‘s legacy,
USA: Civil war)
• Hegemonic position
• Imperial mission statement = Shift from
hard power to soft power
• Accepted leadership

7. Oligocentric World System
Old World System before European expansion with eight cores until 14th century
administered by the Mongols (silk road):
1405-1433 Missions of Zheng He‘s treasure fleet to dominate the WS by gift
diplomacy (total 7 voyages,)
1435 to 1450ies: Ming China couldn‘t replace the Mongolian Empire as silk road
administrator. Imperial overstretch stopped by Confucianist officials, Mongols
and Muslim network economy was more efficient.

8. EU‘s endangered position
• No position at the periphery
• Legacy of deceased Empires (Western Europe)
versus victims of continental Empires (Eastern
Europe)
• Mission statement: Peace keeping after World War II
in Europe
• No universalistic mission statement in contrast to US
declaration of independence.
• Compensation is costly

9. How to keep an Empire from the
WS‘s center?
• Examples: Islam in 6th century: „trade
diasporas“ as economic incentitive for
religious conversion (WS shift was already
underway)
• Network economy
• Networks => Small World Approach.

10. Model approach
• Watts & Strogats‘s Small World model
combined with World System Theory (by
the author)
• Each knot is a contributor
• No central „value production“
• scale-effects of network economy

11. Empire based on networks
l Example: Inca
➲ Technology development as
mission statement comes
first!
➲ Biodiversity generator and
ecologically embedded cities
(Plachetka 2011)
➲ Restoration ecology as
“arcana imperii” (Münkler
2005)
➲ Inca princes: development
programs

12. Recommendations for policy
makers
Coherence of policy towards EU’s credibility in its periphery
Innovation and knowledge as strategic resource to be fostered
Encouragement of innovative instead of state-of-the-art projects
Innovation network “knots” all over the world
Example: In-stream River Training - The EU Water framework
directive lead to growing appreciation of Victor Schauberger.
Instream river training (see Wikipedia)
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instream_River_Training

13. Be realistic – try the impossible
• They changed the world
• Yes, we can too

14. Thank you for your attention
• Dr. Uwe Christian Plachetka
• Contact: uwe.plachetka@boku.ac.at
• 2nd: uwe.plachetka@gmail.com
• Professional page to be found by Google
keyword: BOKU Plachetka
• Personal page:
http://www.uwechristian.coolix.com