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Journal ArticleDOI

The concept of resilience revisited.

01 Dec 2006-Disasters (Disasters)-Vol. 30, Iss: 4, pp 433-450
TL;DR: The concept of resilience is reviewed in terms of definitional issues, the role of vulnerability in resilience discourse and its meaning, and the differences between vulnerability and resilience.
Abstract: The intimate connections between disaster recovery by and the resilience of affected communities have become common features of disaster risk reduction programmes since the adoption of The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015. Increasing attention is now paid to the capacity of disaster-affected communities to 'bounce back' or to recover with little or no external assistance following a disaster. This highlights the need for a change in the disaster risk reduction work culture, with stronger emphasis being put on resilience rather than just need or vulnerability. However, varied conceptualisations of resilience pose new philosophical challenges. Yet achieving a consensus on the concept remains a test for disaster research and scholarship. This paper reviews the concept in terms of definitional issues, the role of vulnerability in resilience discourse and its meaning, and the differences between vulnerability and resilience. It concludes with some of the more immediately apparent implications of resilience thinking for the way we view and prepare for disasters.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the disaster resilience of place (DROP) model is proposed to improve comparative assessments of disaster resilience at the local or community level, and a candidate set of variables for implementing the model are also presented as a first step towards its implementation.
Abstract: There is considerable research interest on the meaning and measurement of resilience from a variety of research perspectives including those from the hazards/disasters and global change communities. The identification of standards and metrics for measuring disaster resilience is one of the challenges faced by local, state, and federal agencies, especially in the United States. This paper provides a new framework, the disaster resilience of place (DROP) model, designed to improve comparative assessments of disaster resilience at the local or community level. A candidate set of variables for implementing the model are also presented as a first step towards its implementation.

3,119 citations


Cites background from "The concept of resilience revisited..."

  • ...Like vulnerability, multiple definitions of resilience exist within the literature, with no broadly accepted single definition (Klein et al., 2003; Manyena, 2006)....

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  • ...It incorporates the capacity to reduce or avoid losses, contain the effects of disasters, and recover with minimal social disruptions (Buckle et al., 2000; Manyena, 2006; Tierney and Bruneau, 2007)....

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  • ...’’ Like vulnerability, multiple definitions of resilience exist within the literature, with no broadly accepted single definition (Klein et al., 2003; Manyena, 2006)....

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  • ...1d) (Manyena, 2006)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Although vector-borne diseases will expand their reach and death tolls, especially among elderly people, will increase because of heatwaves, the indirect effects of climate change on water, food security, and extreme climatic events are likely to have the biggest effect on global health.

2,061 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide a methodology and a set of indicators for measuring baseline characteristics of communities that foster resilience by establishing baseline conditions, it becomes possible to monitor changes in resilience over time in particular places and to compare one place to another.
Abstract: There is considerable federal interest in disaster resilience as a mechanism for mitigating the impacts to local communities, yet the identification of metrics and standards for measuring resilience remain a challenge This paper provides a methodology and a set of indicators for measuring baseline characteristics of communities that foster resilience By establishing baseline conditions, it becomes possible to monitor changes in resilience over time in particular places and to compare one place to another We apply our methodology to counties within the Southeastern United States as a proof of concept The results show that spatial variations in disaster resilience exist and are especially evident in the rural/urban divide, where metropolitan areas have higher levels of resilience than rural counties However, the individual drivers of the disaster resilience (or lack thereof)-social, economic, institutional, infrastructure, and community capacities-vary widely

1,294 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors explore opportunities for an integrated approach in community resilience to inform new research directions and practice, using the productive common ground between two strands of literature on community resilience, one from social-ecological systems and the other from the psychology of development and mental health.
Abstract: We explore opportunities for an integrated approach in community resilience to inform new research directions and practice, using the productive common ground between two strands of literature on community resilience, one from social–ecological systems and the other from the psychology of development and mental health. The first strand treats resilience as a systems concept, dealing with adaptive relationships and learning in social–ecological systems across nested levels, with attention to feedbacks, nonlinearity, unpredictability, scale, renewal cycles, drivers, system memory, disturbance events, and windows of opportunity. The second strand emphasizes identifying and developing community strengths, and building resilience through agency and self-organization, with attention to people–place connections, values and beliefs, knowledge and learning, social networks, collaborative governance, economic diversification, infrastructure, leadership, and outlook. An integrative approach seated in the complex ada...

1,101 citations


Cites background from "The concept of resilience revisited..."

  • ...Much of the disaster resilience literature uses resilience in its dictionary sense (Manyena 2006) or as a metaphor (Norris et al....

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  • ...Much of the disaster resilience literature uses resilience in its dictionary sense (Manyena 2006) or as a metaphor (Norris et al. 2008), rather than as an analytic concept producing new insights....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors highlights the critical role of social capital and networks in disaster survival and recovery and lays out recent literature and evidence on the topic, concluding with concrete policy recommendations for disaster managers, government decision makers, and no...
Abstract: Despite the ubiquity of disaster and the increasing toll in human lives and financial costs, much research and policy remain focused on physical infrastructure–centered approaches to such events. Governmental organizations such as the Department of Homeland Security, United States Federal Emergency Management Agency, United States Agency for International Development, and United Kingdom’s Department for International Development continue to spend heavily on hardening levees, raising existing homes, and repairing damaged facilities despite evidence that social, not physical, infrastructure drives resilience. This article highlights the critical role of social capital and networks in disaster survival and recovery and lays out recent literature and evidence on the topic. We look at definitions of social capital, measurement and proxies, types of social capital, and mechanisms and application. The article concludes with concrete policy recommendations for disaster managers, government decision makers, and no...

1,096 citations


Cites background from "The concept of resilience revisited..."

  • ...Many academic fields, including psychology (Bonanno, 2004; Masten, 2001), sociology (Mileti, 1999), socioecological systems (Adger, Hughes, Folke, Carpenter, & Rockstrom, 2005; Folke, 2006; Nelson, Adger, & Brown, 2007), and disaster research (Norris et al., 2008; Bruneau et al., 2003; Manyena, 2006), draw on the concept of group or community resilience....

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  • ...…Masten, 2001), sociology (Mileti, 1999), socioecological systems (Adger, Hughes, Folke, Carpenter, & Rockstrom, 2005; Folke, 2006; Nelson, Adger, & Brown, 2007), and disaster research (Norris et al., 2008; Bruneau et al., 2003; Manyena, 2006), draw on the concept of group or community resilience....

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References
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Book
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: In this paper, the challenge of disasters and their approach are discussed, and a framework and theory for disaster mitigation is presented. But the authors do not address the problem of access to resources and coping in adversarial situations.
Abstract: Part 1: Framework and Theory 1. The Challenge of Disasters and Our Approach 2. Disaster Pressure and Release Model 3. Access to Resources and Coping in Adversity Part 2: Vulnerability and Hazard Types 4. Famine and Natural Hazards 5. Biological Hazards 6. Floods 7. Severe Coastal Storms 8. Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Landslides Part 3: Action for Disaster Reduction 9. Vulnerability, Relief and Reconstruction 10. Towards a Safer Environment

5,190 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) as discussed by the authors is an index of social vulnerability to environmental hazards based on county-level socioeconomic and demographic data collected from the United States in 1990.
Abstract: Objective. County-level socioeconomic and demographic data were used to construct an index of social vulnerability to environmental hazards, called the Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) for the United States based on 1990 data. Methods. Using a factor analytic approach, 42 variables were reduced to 11 independent factors that accounted for about 76 percent of the variance. These factors were placed in an additive model to compute a summary score—the Social Vulnerability Index. Results. There are some distinct spatial patterns in the SoVI, with the most vulnerable counties clustered in metropolitan counties in the east, south Texas, and the Mississippi Delta region. Conclusion. Those factors that contribute to the overall score often are different for each county, underscoring the interactive nature of social vulnerability—some components increase vulnerability; others moderate the effects.

4,230 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors define social resilience as the ability of groups or communities to cope with external stresses and disturbances as a result of social, political and environmental change, and explore potential links between social resilience and ecological resilience.
Abstract: This article defines social resilience as the ability of groups or communities to cope with external stresses and disturbances as a result of social, political and environmental change. This definition highlights social resilience in relation to the concept of ecological resilience which is a characteristic of ecosystems to maintain themselves in the face of disturbance. There is a clear link between social and ecological resilience, particularly for social groups or communities that are dependent on ecological and environmental resources for their livelihoods. But it is not clear whether resilient ecosystems enable resilient communities in such situations. This article examines whether resilience is a useful characteristic for describing the social and economic situation of social groups and explores potential links between social resilience and ecological resilience. The origins of this interdisciplinary study in human ecology, ecological economics and rural sociology are reviewed, and a study of the impacts of ecological change on a resource- dependent community in contemporary coastal Vietnam in terms of the resilience of its institu- tions is outlined. I Introduction The concept of resilience is widely used in ecology but its meaning and measurement are contested. This article argues that it is important to learn from this debate and to explore social resilience, both as an analogy of how societies work, drawing on the ecological concept, and through exploring the direct relationship between the two phenomena of social and ecological resilience. Social resilience is an important component of the circumstances under which individuals and social groups adapt to environmental change. Ecological and social resilience may be linked through the dependence on ecosystems of communities and their economic activities. The question is, then, whether societies dependent on resources and ecosystems are themselves less resilient. In addition, this analysis allows consideration of whether institutions

3,732 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compare resilience properties in two contrasting socioecological systems, lake districts and rangelands, with respect to the following three general features: (a) the ability of an SES to stay in the domain of attraction is related to slowly changing variables, or slowly changing disturbance regimes, which control the boundaries of the area of attraction or the frequency of events that could push the system across the boundaries.
Abstract: Resilience is the magnitude of disturbance that can be tolerated before a socioecological system (SES) moves to a different region of state space controlled by a different set of processes. Resilience has multiple levels of meaning: as a metaphor related to sustainability, as a property of dynamic models, and as a measurable quantity that can be assessed in field studies of SES. The operational indicators of resilience have, however, received little attention in the literature. To assess a system's resilience, one must specify which system configuration and which disturbances are of interest. This paper compares resilience properties in two contrasting SES, lake districts and rangelands, with respect to the following three general features: (a) The ability of an SES to stay in the domain of attraction is related to slowly changing variables, or slowly changing disturbance regimes, which control the boundaries of the domain of attraction or the frequency of events that could push the system across the boundaries. Examples are soil phosphorus content in lake districts woody vegetation cover in rangelands, and property rights systems that affect land use in both lake districts and rangelands. (b) The ability of an SES to self-organize is related to the extent to which reorganization is endogenous rather than forced by external drivers. Self-organization is enhanced by coevolved ecosystem components and the presence of social networks that facilitate innovative problem solving. (c) The adaptive capacity of an SES is related to the existence of mechanisms for the evolution of novelty or learning. Examples include biodiversity at multiple scales and the existence of institutions that facilitate experimentation, discovery, and innovation.

3,090 citations

Book
01 Jan 1987
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide a method of analyzing the problems of management and degradation, focusing particularly on the decision making environment of the land users and managers themselves, its great variety through space and time, and the inability of single theories to provide satisfactory explanations.
Abstract: Acknowledges that the reasons why land management can fail are extremely varied, and must include a thorough understanding of the changing natural resource base itself, the human response to this, and broader changes in society, of which land managers are a part. Four chapters provide a method of analyzing the problems of management and degradation. They focus particularly on the decision making environment of the land users and managers themselves, its great variety through space and time, and on the inability of single theories to provide satisfactory explanations. Case studies cover Nepal, North America, Indonesia, the Pacific, China, India and historical erosion in Europe, and in modern capitalist, socialist, and developing countries.

2,047 citations