The Formula for Everything

What if the solutions to our most complex problems are hiding in plain sight?

This book, The Formula for Everything: A Global Toolkit for Complex Problems, takes on an ambitious journey. It explores some of the most persistent challenges societies face. Think of things like post-conflict healing, urban crime, economic inequality, and systemic corruption. The book's central idea is that these massive problems can be systematically addressed using established theoretical frameworks. These frameworks are the “formulas”. They aren't magic cures or simplistic fix-alls. Instead, they are structured, evidence-based approaches. This volume aims to move from abstract theory to concrete practice to find tangible solutions. The method used is a rigorous comparative case study analysis. It identifies fifteen distinct life scenarios, each representing a major societal challenge. Each problem is then paired with a corresponding theoretical formula from fields like economics, criminology, and political science. To see how it all works, the book scrutinizes each formula's application within a specific country's real-world experience. You'll travel the globe through these pages, from Rwanda to Switzerland, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Singapore, and nine other nations. This global scope highlights how universal challenges must be met with solutions tailored to a specific local context. Every chapter is built with a consistent four-part structure, guiding you from the theory to the practical implications and a final critical analysis.

So, what makes this book different from all the other books on policy or social science? Its true value is that it refuses to stay in the purely academic world, but it also avoids the shallowness of a simple “how-to” guide. This book bridges the critical gap between theory and practice. Many books will tell you what the “Broken Windows Theory” is; this book takes you to 1990s New York City to show you how it was actually implemented and critically analyzes the controversial social consequences of that strategy. Other books might debate why corporate gender quotas are a good idea; this book dives into the real, messy results of Norway's 40% quota law, revealing what it actually achieved for women on boards and what it failed to do for women in the wider company. This book’s competitive advantage is its rigorous, real-world testing of ideas. It provides a powerful toolkit for policymakers, academics, and civil society leaders who need to stop just talking about problems and start building tangible, evidence-based solutions.

This author has no affiliation with the board and it is independently produced under nominative fair use.