This research report is about local resilience with particular emphasis on its definitions, dimensions and measurement. It aims to clarify the distinction between the indicators used to measure resilience and those indicators aimed to gauge the determinants of resilience. Many available resources mix the two types of indicators and their separation is crucial for an accurate understanding of resilience and what it entails. The report seeks to develop a methodological framework to measure resilience in local communities, where we argue, it is most crucial to have capabilities to address a crisis. The report proposes a local resilience methodological framework to understand societal resilience from a network perspective, rather than a single national block diagnostic assessment.
November 2021: Policy brief for International Organizations
Resilience is an often-used term in various disciplines reflecting the ability to recover from adversity. For the policy-making community it has re-gained traction in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our new report “Understanding Local Resilience: Definitions, Dimensions and Measurement” advances the idea that it is not only resilience, but local resilience which is a key component for navigating through times of crisis. Local resilience means the community’s capacity to resist, adapt and recover from a crisis such as a pandemic. This policy brief outlines immediate potential uses of the concepts and metrics for local resilience for international organizations in the transatlantic space. What is at stake in advancing this important conversation is no less than the policy frameworks which can underpin more cohesive, adaptive, and future-proofed local communities.
November 2021: Policy Brief for Local Authorities (in Romanian)