Resilience for Systems (R4s): A New Approach for Assessing the Resilience of Local Systems

Abstract

Disasters are disrupting the local systems that vulnerable and marginalized communities depend on. Local systems are extraordinary complex and their significance is underappreciated, which stymies resilience-building efforts. In this study, we make the argument for reorienting resilience-building efforts towards local systems and present a new approach for doing so, Resilience for Systems (R4S). Developed by the international NGO GOAL to provide a practical way to understand local systems, R4S provides a set of tools for system mapping, risk assessment, and identification of system-strengthening interventions. Designed to meet the needs of practitioners and policymakers working in fragile and conflict affected contexts, R4S seeks to offer a valid and reliable approach for assessing resilience while also being useful and easy to use. We first explain local systems matter for vulnerable and marginalized communities. We then offer an overview of the R4S approach and illustrate its application in four settings—social housing in Tegucigalpa, Honduras; fecal sludge management in Freetown, Sierra Leone; small scale fisheries in La Guajira, Colombia; and community tourism around the coasts of Guatemala and Honduras. We conclude by discussing the validity, reliability, utility, and ease of use of the tool as an approach for assessing the resilience of local systems.

Keywords: Resilience, systems theory, natural hazards, toolkit, cascading disasters, climate change