The Institute for Collapsonomics

collapsonomics, n.

1. The study of economic and state systems at the edge of their normal social and economic function, including preventative measures to avoid destructive feedback loops and vicious cycles.

2. A consulting practice based on the scientific and historical understanding of collapse conditions, and responses to them.

It seems we need a term for big, obvious threats that are sure to emerge - think asteroid impacts - but which few want to face. Handily, students of "collapsonomics" have already coined one: "black elephants."
(New Scientist, 21 April 2010)

We're just not dealing with them at the scale necessary. If they all stampede at once, watch out.
(Thomas Friedman, 'Stampeding Black Elephants', New York Times, 22 Nov 2014)

IfC Articles and Papers

  • Vinay Gupta & Dougald Hine, 'Black Elephants & Skull Jackets'
  • Vinay Gupta, 'Framing the Collapsonomics Practice' (Summary)
  • Vinay Gupta, 'The Future of Poverty'
  • Dougald Hine, 'Social Media vs the Recession'
  • Dougald Hine, 'The Future of Unemployment'
  • Anton Shelupanov, 'Justice Perestroika: managing prisons in a time of crisis'
  • Mamading Ceesay, 'Local Community Economics for Security in an Unstable World'
  • Mike Bennett, 'NHS Direct and the Collapsonomics Landscape'
  • Alan Patrick, 'Black Elephant Strategy and Collapsonomics'

    • Collapsonomics links

  • Dmitry Orlov - post-Soviet lessons for a post-American century
  • John Michael Greer - comparative study of decline of civilisations
  • Ran Prieur - wide-ranging observations and a magpie's eye for examples
  • Bruce Sterling - Wired's collapsonomics man and Cyberpunk visionary
  • Mike Davis - 'Late Victorian Holocausts', 'The Monster at Our Door: The Global Threat of Avian Flu', 'Planet of Slums'