SKI Focus Report 8: Measuring Resilience

Benefits and Limitations of Resilience Indices

Author(s): Tim Prior, Jonas Hagmann
Series: Risk and Resilience Reports
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich
Publication Year: 2013

This Focus Report provides a background to the measurement of resilience. Its first section introduces the topic and explores the reasons why resilience should be measured. Looking at the utilities of a resilience index, this report differentiates between the most central awareness and policy-guidance functions of such an instrument. The reports second section presents three different approaches to measure resilience. In each case study, the report explores the development and application, benefits and limitations of the index at hand. The third section discusses the pitfalls and potentials of resilience index-making at a more general level. The concluding section highlights the likely implications arising from this discussion for the development of a resilience index in Switzerland.

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