A systems approach for holistic resilience building

Resilience for Social Systems (R4S) is an approach to analyse the resilience of socioeconomic systems. Societies are made up of socio-economic systems which service the needs of their populations, and addressing recurrent crises and effectively building resilience requires an integrated systems approach. Where these systems are fragile and large portions of the population are socially or economically marginalized, communities are highly susceptible to external shocks and stresses; coordination among stakeholders to strengthen these systems will ultimately improve resilience and lead to resilient and inclusive development.

The R4S approach to resilience helps to understand how various system components (stakeholders, resources, regulations) interact and interconnect, as well as assessing the potential impacts from risk scenarios. In other words, when applying the R4S Approach to build resilience, the user can anticipate better how natural hazards can trigger economic shocks, how conflicts can leave people more exposed to additional shocks or stresses (e.g., an outbreak of cholera can be triggered when water, sanitation and hygiene systems are destroyed or become inaccessible), and how long-term stresses such as environmental degradation can lower agricultural productivity, weakening food security and income levels, and impacting a household’s ability to pay for health care or education.

Understanding these dynamics is critical to deliver better programming that addresses root causes of constraints rather than symptoms alone. The R4S Approach is based on best practice in Systems Thinking, Network Theory, Scenario Thinking, Social and Behaviour Change, Inclusion and Resilience approaches and provides a logical step by step process for assessing resilience of socio-economic systems.

This presentation will provide an overview of the R4S, the innovations in the assessment of complex and interlinked vulnerabilities it provides, and practical examples drawn from GOAL’s experience of conducting the assessment and implementing resilience-building strategies based on the needs and opportunities identified.