Societal resilience in the era of hazards. The case study of an examplary community Cover Image

Societal resilience in the era of hazards. The case study of an examplary community
Societal resilience in the era of hazards. The case study of an examplary community

Author(s): Barbara Szykuła-Piec
Subject(s): Social Sciences
Published by: Wydawnictwo Wyższej Szkoły Gospodarki Euroregionalnej im. Alcide De Gasperi w Józefowie
Keywords: social infrastructure; locality; local security; social resilience; resilience indices; culture of trust; protection systems;

Summary/Abstract: ObjectivesSafety management is a specific process, which should take into account building societal resistance based on flexibility and elasticity of its components. The goal of the paper is to present resilience indices/measures with coexistence of stability and change as well a specific homeostasis accompanied by dynamic evolution that guarantees sustainable developmentMaterial and methodsMethodology based on approaches adopted among others by the UNU-IAS - SEPLS and selected literature sources allowed the establishment of a set of criteria meant to assist in compilation of input data for needs of analyses of mesoregions. In addition results of the research process were verified/subjected to testing during interviews carried out among community members and representatives of local authorities. All those materials were analysed in a synthetic manner and allowed achieving the assumed goalResultsAccording to the sociological approach, based on the theory of community development and trust culture as well as on an approach assuming the concept of system resilience, a wide set of indicators has been established which form a starting point for further studies in this field. The deliberations took into account not only a subjective perception of security, but also its measurable variablesConclusionsThe paper has both a theoretical and a practical dimension. The concept of resilience is quite effective under the general theory of systems. However, in situations when systemic formulations tens to hinder rather than help provide clarifications, a different interpretation may be justified. This may happen in case of building societal resistance, limiting the risk of hazards, which seems to be to a bigger extent related with transformation than with preserving “the state of the system”.

  • Issue Year: 47/2021
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 431-454
  • Page Count: 24
  • Language: English