Resilience configurations

With Alessandro Muscio and Alasdair Reid, in our new open-access article in Regional Studies, Regional Science (RSRS), we introduce the concept of 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 to capture how R&I investment, governance quality and territorial inequalities interact to influence countries’ ability to absorb, adapt and transform in the face of shocks. 

A brief snap on the paper

The article explores how research and innovation (R&I) policies can contribute to strengthening societal resilience in the face of shocks such as economic crises, pandemics and climate change. It introduces the concept of “resilience configurations”, which describes how innovation policies interact with governance quality, territorial inequalities and historically shaped socio-economic structures to shape a country’s capacity to cope with disruptions and adapt over time. Rather than treating resilience as a single outcome or focusing only on recovery from crises, the authors argue that resilience emerges from specific combinations of policy choices, institutional arrangements and local conditions that influence how societies absorb, adapt to and transform after shocks.

The paper identifies three key dimensions that determine these resilience configurations. The first concerns the balance between vulnerabilities and capacities, meaning the degree to which societies are exposed to risks and the resources they possess to respond to them, such as human capital, social cohesion and economic structures. The second dimension is governance quality, which shapes how effectively policies are coordinated, implemented and adapted to changing circumstances. The third dimension relates to patterns of R&I investment and policy design, which influence the development of knowledge, technologies and networks that support long-term resilience.

Using comparative evidence across European Union countries, the authors show that nations with stronger governance systems, higher investment in research and development, and lower regional inequalities tend to display higher levels of resilience and preparedness for future shocks. The findings also highlight that resilience differs widely across territories, meaning that policy outcomes depend strongly on local contexts and historical trajectories.

Overall, the study argues that innovation policy can play a strategic role in building resilient societies. Instead of applying uniform policy solutions, policymakers should design tailored approaches that reflect the specific institutional capacities, socio-economic conditions and regional characteristics of different countries and regions.

Read the full paper in open-access: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21681376.2026.2634519