Improving the resilience of social systems is a goal increasingly adopted in our modern world. This unique and comprehensive Handbook focuses on the interdependencies of these social systems and the technologies that support them. It explores the ways in which the resilience of elements and social systems interact with each other to promote or undermine resilience for one or both, how these interactions manifest themselves through space and time, and how they can be shaped through active intervention.

Original and multi-disciplinary contributions illustrate the nuances in the way resilience is interpreted through corresponding case studies and applications. The use of diverse tools, such as cost-effectiveness analysis, multi-criteria decision analysis, transition theory and network science provides readers with a balanced treatment of both theoretical issues surrounding resilience and applications to specific socio-technical systems. Case studies from across the globe are used to discuss the ways in which natural disasters, terror attacks, cyber attacks and infrastructure impact the resilience of these systems.

Timely and innovative, this Handbook is an ideal resource for university think-tanks, researchers and advanced students exploring the resilience of both social and technical systems. Planners and policy-makers will also greatly benefit from the lessons drawn from contemporary case studies.

Contributors include: D.L. Alderson, U. Bhatia, R. Biggs, C.R. Binder, R. Bowman, A. Cryan, N. Dormady, D. Fannon, K. Fischer, L. Fischer, A.R. Ganguly, B. Giese, S. Goessling-Reisemann, E. Gordon, H.-D. Hellige, B. Helmuth, S. Hiermaier, S. Lehnhoff, I. Linkov, K. Maciejewski, T. Malloy, S. Mirzaee, S. Muhlemeier, K. Poinsatte-Jones, A. Roa-Henriquez, J.C. Rocha, A. Rose, H. Rosoff, M. Ruth, A.J. Schaffer, B. Scharte, M. Schneider, S. Scyphers, J.C Stephens, P. Thier, B.D. Trump, A. von Gleich, M.E. Warner, D.D. Woods, R. Wyss

About the Author
Edited by Matthias Ruth, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, University of York, UK and the late Stefan Goessling-Reisemann, formerly University of Bremen, Germany

Reviews
'If you believe that resilience is the absence of vulnerability you should consult the new Handbook on Resilience of Socio-Technical Systems. The authors succeed in presenting excellent arguments and convincing evidence that resilience is an adoptive learning system that is not only able to cope with unpleasant surprises but can also grow as a result of such surprises. The book takes resilience to an alleviated stage of organizational performance: how to deal with uncertainty and ambiguity in a complex environment.'
--Ortwin Renn, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), Germany

'Policy-makers, business leaders and everyday people are becoming increasingly disorientated as turbulence and its consequences become more disruptive and destructive to the global community. They are in desperate need of guide to help them gather their bearings and provide a path forward, which makes the Handbook on Resilience of Socio-Technical Systems an especially important and timely contribution. This interdisciplinary compendium brings together a diverse group of top researchers to share their latest findings and insights. The reader of this volume will come away with a deep understanding of what it will take to thrive in the face of the array of stressors and shocks that lie before us.'
--Stephen E. Flynn, Northeastern University, US

Book Information
ISBN 9781786439369
Author Matthias Ruth
Format Hardback
Page Count 432
Imprint Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
Publisher Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd