Many systems theorists emphasize the self-organizing properties of systems. The self-organizing nature of systems can seem to make systems theory peculiarly appropriate to the new governance, conceived as the rise of markets and especially networks in place of bureaucratic hierarchy. In the absence of a dominant center or sovereign entity capable of guiding the whole, governance appears to resemble a self-organizing set of networks or subsystems. Historically, social scientists often concentrated on hierarchical exchanges in idealized bureaucratic structures. Advocates of systems theory suggest that it provides a way of exploring horizontal and exogenous interactions within networks as they respond to complex environments.