About the book

We seek to present a popular account of the control problems that arise in complex systems which are more generally called large-scale systems in control theory. In systems of this kind, centralized control often gives way to decentralized control, the transition being a penalty for the system’s complexity. This is because the system’s complexity makes centralized con­trol either inefficient or impracticable. How do large-scale systems arise, and is it possible that the category of large-scale system is merely a far-fetched nothing? We have tried to show in this book that large-scale man-made systems which sur­round us are steadily becoming more nu­merous and still more complex. The evolu­tion of man-made systems out of the already existing ones goes on in much the same way as living organisms evolve. Decen­tralized control is but a natural product of this evolution. We hope to convince our readers that it is just so. (from Instead of a Preface)