An independent publication studying governance, resilience, and dependency in critical systems.
Critical Dependencies is an independent publication studying the governance, resilience, and dependency patterns of critical systems.
Our work focuses on systems whose continued functioning is a precondition for ordinary civic and economic life. These systems are often highly reliable, deeply embedded, and rarely noticed until they experience disruption.
Rather than studying individual organizations, technologies, or events in isolation, we study the systems themselves and the recurring patterns that shape how they evolve over time.
The publication focuses on long-lived critical systems including:
These systems differ in purpose, ownership, and technology. They often share similar governance, resilience, and dependency challenges.
Understanding those recurring patterns is the central objective of the publication.
Critical systems are frequently examined through engineering, regulatory, economic, or policy perspectives.
Each perspective contributes valuable insight.
Critical Dependencies exists to study a different question:
How do societies govern systems they cannot afford to lose?
Our research focuses on recurring structural patterns that emerge as systems become more interconnected, more relied upon, and more difficult to replace.
The goal is not prediction.
The goal is understanding.
Research is organized around six foundational patterns:
These patterns provide a common language for studying very different systems across long periods of time.
Every system study is examined through the lenses of governance, resilience, and dependency.
Critical Dependencies is editorially independent.
The publication does not advocate for particular technologies, operators, regulators, companies, or political positions.
Our purpose is analytical rather than prescriptive.
We seek to understand systems before attempting to judge them.
We study systems, not actors.