The terms ‘social resilience’, ‘community resilience’, ‘urban resilience’ and ‘societal resilience’ have significant conceptual overlap and are sometimes used interchangeably. (Social and community resilience more often include psycho-social or ‘inner’ dimensions, but this isn’t always the case and they’re still rarely foregrounded.) The term ‘societal resilience’ is perhaps least common in the academic literature, but it is gaining traction in public policy (particularly in the UK) and has helpfully large-scale and multi-domain connotations, and so has been emphasised in this wiki. The definition of societal resilience used by the National Consortium for Societal Resilience at Alliance Manchester Business School is the “capability created by local systems that helps people and places to adapt and advance in a changing environment'.
See also definitions of Social Resilience and Community Resilience in academic literature.
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Social resilience is comprised of three dimensions: (1) Coping capacities – the ability of social actors to cope with and overcome all kinds of adversities; (2) Adaptive capacities – their ability to learn from past experiences and adjust themselves to future challenges in their everyday lives; (3) Transformative capacities – their ability to craft sets of institutions that foster individual welfare and sustainable societal robustness towards future crises. (Keck & Sakdapolrak, 2013)
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Societal resilience research spans multiple disciplines, each with their own set of assumptions and each with helpful perspectives on how communities, organisations and entire populations adapt to stressors. The academic fields below illustrate the breadth of approaches to the topic:
Collapsology
Investigates the potential for large-scale civilisational breakdown using historical analysis, focusing on resource depletion, economic fragility and social tipping points.
Defence and Security Studies
Examines how societies respond to security threats including geopolitical conflicts and how preparedness, deterrence and robust institutions enhance overall resilience.
Disaster, Risk and Emergency Management
Focuses on the planning, response and recovery phases of disasters. This includes crisis coordination, risk assessment and implementing strategies that enable communities to rebound quickly from both natural and human-induced hazards.
Environmental, Sustainability and Climate Sciences
Explores how ecosystems and human systems interact, highlighting adaptive strategies for resource management and broader socio-ecological resilience.
Existential Risk Studies
Investigates low-probability but high-impact threats that could imperil humanity’s long-term survival, such as global pandemics, nuclear war, or advanced AI risks.
Humanitarian Studies and Development Studies
Addresses societal resilience in settings prone to conflict, poverty or chronic disasters, focusing on building local capacity and equitable resource distribution.
Public Health, Epidemiology and Disease Prevention
Investigates community preparedness for health emergencies, including infectious disease outbreaks. Emphasises healthcare infrastructure and vaccination campaigns.
Psychology
Examines resilience from an individual and community standpoint, delving into coping mechanisms, social support networks, and collective identity and efficacy.
Other Social Sciences (Sociology, Human Geography, Anthropology)
Study cultural practices, social dynamics, and power relations that shape community cohesion and social capital.
Urban and Regional Planning
Focuses on resilient city and regional design, ensuring robust infrastructure, housing, and public services. This includes integrating risk reduction measures, sustainable development, and community engagement into planning processes.
Next:
What does ‘psycho-social’ mean in this context?
Disaster, crisis & collapse: why is societal resilience necessary?