From conceptualization to practice: enhancing economic resilience at the local government level in Australia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Seven principles of resilience developed by Stockholm Resilience Centre were adopted as a central framework from which practical objectives were identified to support local government organizations, and small local businesses to enhance their level of resilience to natural disasters. Discussions and interviews with local government executives from four coastal, local governments in Australia were undertaken to refine each economic development objectives to ensure utility and relevance. The final suite of practical objectives aims to respond to socio-ecological system features such as slow and fast variables, feedbacks and thresholds that create climate risks for businesses, and consider the sector and individual businesses’ learning capacity, participation and self-organization. We consider that these important objectives provide a pathway that enable small businesses, central to the local economic sector to self-assess their risks, and develop longer term adaptive and transformative strategies beyond preparedness and recovery. The significance of this research is in its ability to translate and anchor conceptual understandings of socio-ecological systems and resilience theory into a set of practical and useful objectives for local governments and small businesses to combat their vulnerability to natural disasters.