Hierarchy theory

Hierarchy theory is a means of studying ecological systems in which the relationship between all of the components is of great complexity. Hierarchy theory focuses on levels of organization and issues of scale, with a specific focus on the role of the observer in the definition of the system. Complexity in this context does not refer to an intrinsic property of the system but to the possibility of representing the systems in a plurality of non-equivalent ways depending on the pre-analytical choices of the observer. Instead of analyzing the whole structure, hierarchy theory refers to the analysis of hierarchical levels, and the interactions between them.

See also

• Timothy F. H. Allen – British botanist and academic
• Big History – Education strategy or academic discipline
• Biological organisation – Hierarchy of complex structures and systems within biological sciences
• Deep ecology – Ecological and environmental philosophy
• Deep history – Academic discipline that studies humanity's origins
• Deep time – Time scales on the billions of years
• Dependency theory – International relations theory
• Infrastructure-based development – Development based on long-term infrastructure investments
• Structuralist economics – Approach to economics
• World-systems theory – Approach emphasizing the world-system as the primary unit of social analysis