On September 18, 2025, the Fudan Institute for Global Public Policy (IGPP) organized the 80th lecture of the Fudan-LSE Lecture Series. Professor Caroline Wagner from Ohio State University delivered a lecture on the theme of A Complex Systems Approach to Supporting Science and Innovation. The session was chaired by Dean Yijia Jing of IGPP. Professor Richard Freeman from Harvard University serves as the disccusant.

Profesor Wagner is an expert in science, technology and innovation, and its relationship to public policy. She has worked for the U.S. government on science and technology policy, serving as a Congress staff member where she provided advice and drafted legislation and as a The RAND Corporation staff member where she delivered policy analysis to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the U.S. National Science Foundation.

At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Wagner raised the question of “why adopt a complex systems approach.” She compared “constructed systems” with “emergent systems,” emphasizing spontaneously arising patterns of social organization and their significance within knowledge networks. Professor Wagner first introduced the fundamentals of complex systems theory, noting that when phenomena are overly complex, a single theoretical framework is insufficient to fully capture their intricacies. The study of complex systems aims to reveal how local interaction rules give rise to self-organization, generating new structures and behaviors.

Professor Wagner then delved into the coupling characteristics of knowledge networks and their influence on innovation. She distinguished between tightly coupled and loosely coupled networks: the former allows rapid information flow but is more fragile, while the latter is more resilient in adapting to change. She highlighted the “preferential attachment” mechanism, where new nodes are more likely to connect with existing nodes, creating a “rich-get-richer” effect. As networks self-organize and evolve, simple local rules gradually give rise to “small-world” characteristics, fostering cross-disciplinary innovation. Professor Wagner emphasized that global research collaboration networks have expanded rapidly since the 1980s, and decentralized relationships have significantly enhanced knowledge creation. This demonstrates that the historical accumulation of network structures plays a crucial role in shaping contemporary patterns, with different network forms generating diverse innovation outcomes.

Professor Freeman further provided comments from an economics perspective, noting that different types of network structures influence both the production of knowledge and the effectiveness of policy implementation. During Q&A session, students and faculty engaged in discussion on the future of global knowledge collaboration.

After the lecture, Professor Jing presented a commemorative gift to Professor Wagner. The event concluded with a group photo of the faculty and students.