Resilience in the age of crises

This research paper examines the concept 'resilience' as a response to the constantly changing environments and turbulence of the world. While resilience is used by several international organisations and nation states, there is still a lack of consensus regarding what the concept really means – it denotes both resisting change and being willing to adapt at the same time.

This paper offers some clarity and argues that a temporal dimension is needed when applying the concept of resilience. There is no way of knowing when and where the next crisis will hit, or what it will be. There is also no way of know- ing exactly how long it will last. However, it seems like most of the events of the past decade have required states and societies to adapt, rather than aiming to return to status quo. The longevity of the turbulent events seems to require adaptability and flexibility, rather than strength and inflexibility. This became only too evident in 2020.