Crisis resilience must start with citizens

In April earlier this year, Spain and Portugal experienced a widespread power outage. Electricity was restored after 18 hours, but the disruption caused havoc: trains stalled mid-journey, lifts were immobilised, and vulnerable people faced life-threatening interruptions to their care. Supermarkets and shopping centres were forced to close, while smaller shops accepted only cash for food and water. Rumours spread and, with them, fear. Most people, including the administration, seemed unprepared.

A month earlier, the European Commission released the EU Preparedness Union Strategy, a comprehensive, institutional and technical response to future crises. While the strategy focuses on informing individuals and guiding their actions, there are two further steps to emphasise next: strengthening community-level involvement and fostering social capital, both of which are essential to true resilience. For the EU to cultivate a genuine culture of preparedness, participatory approaches should be more deeply embedded. Involving citizens not just in implementation but also in co-creating preparedness strategies can enhance both community resilience and the democratic legitimacy of crisis responses.

In the past decade, individual crisis events have evolved into a polycrisis: a series of reinforcing ecological, political, and social disruptions. Developments worldwide, be they geopolitical tensions, rising temperatures, or social fragmentation, indicate that the polycrisis is here to stay. These simultaneous crises quietly strain financial and human resources, having already led to a major debt increase in the EU. In this context, the Commission's decision to engage with a broad range of actors - governments, the private sector, the military, and crisis response organisations - to build a comprehensive preparedness framework is a wise move. 

However, to foster a culture of resilience, citizens should also be actively involved, not just as recipients of guidance (such as a recommendation to stock up on 72 hours of supplies), but as meaningful partners. Through such a strategy, the Union would build skills and grow social capital.

While rules-led and top-down approaches have shown some success in the aftermath of short-term disasters, research into crisis psychology shows they are likely to backfire in long-lasting ones. In every crisis, as the disruption drags on, people slip into the so-called Disillusionment phase. Disappointment that they cannot return to their old lives results in resentment towards governments and institutions, and even towards fellow citizens. Here, people are driven by beliefs, form new identities, and societies become fragmented. In the polycrisis, many people appear locked into one long Disillusionment Phase, unable to regain stability. One such example can be found in the Czech Republic, where in early 2022, anti-government protests erupted, blending anger over rising energy costs and the administration’s support for Ukraine alongside anti-migrant sentiment, all built on the foundations of the anti-vaccine movement.

The Polycrisis leaves many feeling trapped in a permanent state of uncertainty, with new shocks impacting them before previous crises are even resolved, resulting in a feeling of powerlessness. Their already reduced sense of control is further deteriorated by rules and regulations that impact their personal lives (be it social distancing or the limitation of consumer choices to protect the climate). Additionally, more and more people feel precarious due to declining economic well-being and growing insecurity. Altogether, this leads to alienation, not only from the political elite, but from society itself, fueling anti-establishment views and distrust. These feelings are reshaping people’s worldviews, fostering a competitive scarcity mindset and Toxic Anger. 

When people feel a loss of control, particularly during long or complex crises, top-down measures, however well-intentioned, may be met with resistance. The impact of such political backlash can extend far beyond the crisis itself. We saw this in the aftermath of COVID-19, leading to the rise of the anti-vax movement and an erosion of trust in institutions. This also contributed to the backlash against the German Green Economics Minister after he tried to impose legislation to fight the climate crisis by regulating how people should heat their homes and what cars they’re allowed to drive. These lessons highlight the importance of complementing institutional action with inclusive, transparent dialogue and participatory processes. The EU, with its commitment to democratic values and citizen engagement, is uniquely positioned to bridge this gap. By fostering trust through meaningful consultation and co-creation of policies, the Union can not only strengthen resilience but also reinforce the social cohesion essential for navigating the polycrisis.

This begins with listening. People need to feel heard. They must be involved in mapping the vulnerabilities they may face, designing solutions together, and then taking charge of the actions. Participatory crisis adaptation, such as during extreme weather events, can be a highly empowering venture. 

These participatory approaches are widely recognised as best practice for fostering community-based resilience. Examples of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) and Community-Based Vulnerability Mapping have provided ample evidence that empowering communities to design their resilience pathway yields success. Nationwide efforts like the ‘Big Map Exercise’ in Australia provide a blueprint for large-scale citizen-empowering resilience programs. Meanwhile, new governance tools like citizens' assemblies have proven effective, especially when trying to shift societal norms and culture. Where citizen initiatives like this are limited, other, more localised community forces, such as voluntary firefighters or church congregations, can also take the lead. These all have common threads: they simultaneously create solutions on the ground, empower people and build social capital, the essential building blocks of social resilience.  

There is ample evidence that participatory approaches to crisis management foster greater trust, resilience, and long-term compliance. As such, the EU and its Member States have a valuable opportunity to further evolve their crisis management culture by embracing more inclusive, bottom-up practices. Shifting from a predominantly directive model to one that empowers citizens as active partners could enhance preparedness and also deepen democratic engagement across the Union.

illuminem Voices is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of leading Sustainability & Energy writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.

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