  Configurational information is generated when three or more sources of
variance interact. The variations not only disturb each other relationally, but
by selecting upon each other, they are also positioned in a configuration. A
configuration can be stabilized and/or globalized. Different stabilizations can
be considered as second-order variation, and globalization as a second-order
selection. The positive manifestations and the negative selections operate upon
one another by adding and reducing uncertainty, respectively. Reduction of
uncertainty in a configuration can be measured in bits of information. The
variables can also be considered as dimensions of the probabilistic entropy in
the system(s) under study. The configurational information then provides us
with a measure of synergy within a complex system. For example, the knowledge
base of an economy can be considered as such a synergy in the otherwise virtual
(that is, fourth) dimension of a regime.
