Resilience – definitions, concepts and measurement approaches

Highlights

This research:

• is motivated by growing interest in ‘resilience’ due to recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war, and Cyclone Gabrielle, in combination with trends like climate change
• examines key definitions, concepts and measurement approaches about resilience
• is based on a literature review focused on resilience in an economic context.

The research finds that:

• resilience is about dealing with shocks, disturbances and (some argue) long-term trends
• definitions and concepts about resilience are not yet settled, the study of resilience is highly context-specific, and resilience concepts seem hard to operationalise and measure in practice
• despite these challenges, resilience is a useful concept, as it makes us think carefully about the nature of disruptions or shocks and how they affect the relevant system, how the system responds to these disruptions or shocks, and the essence of a system that needs to be maintained through time
• in particular, the evolutionary perspective of resilience is seen as valuable in an economic context. This perspective emphasises the capacity of a system to adapt and fundamentally change over time in the face of numerous disturbances and shocks. This seems helpful when dealing with long-term challenges like climate change and with unexpected shocks and areas of deep uncertainty.

The research implies that:

• rather than aspiring to control change in systems assumed to be stable, policy should aim to manage the capacity of systems to adapt to change.

Background

Policymakers worldwide have long asked what makes one country or economy more resilient than another, or one region, industry or sector more resilient than another. Resilience seems particularly relevant to a small, open economy like Aotearoa New Zealand, with limited influence on the world stage, and prone to earthquakes and other natural hazards. 

Recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war, and Cyclone Gabrielle have brought resilience to the fore, as these shocks have disrupted supply chains, food security and other activities, and affected the lives and wellbeing of many New Zealanders. These shocks, in combination with trends like climate change, have led to a heightened interest in resilience. 

If policy work aimed at improving resilience is to be effective, policymakers need to be clear about what they mean by, and how they understand, ‘resilience’. This was the motivation for this literature review which examined definitions, concepts and measurement approaches about resilience.

You can read the full paper at:

Resilience – definitions, concepts and measurement: A literature review  [PDF, 1.5 MB]

The review mainly focused on resilience in an economic context, but also drew on insights from other disciplines where relevant. The ultimate purpose is to contribute to understandings of resilience as a backgrounder for policymakers and others interested in the topic. 

In this section

Resilience definitions

Resilience concepts

Approaches for measuring resilience

Conclusions and implications