Polycrisis Resource Library

The Polycrisis Resource Library is a growing collection of media that help to understand polycrisis, develop strategies to address polycrisis, and build a field of polycrisis analysis.

All Crises are Unhappy in their Own Way: The role of societal instability in shaping the past

February 16, 2024

Daniel Hoyer, Samantha Louise Holder, James S Bennett, Pieter François, Harvey Whitehouse, Alan Covey, Gary Feinman, Andrey Korotayev, Vadim Vustiuzhanin, Johannes Preiser-Kapeller, Kathryn Bard, Jill Levine, Jenny Reddish, Georg Orlandi, Rachel Ainsworth, and Peter Turchin

The authors argue that the current body of research into societal crises—defined here as “periods of turmoil and destabilization in socio-cultural, political, economic, and other systems, often accompanied by varying…

How useful is the concept of polycrisis? Lessons from the development of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit during the COVID-19 pandemic

February 13, 2024

Shannon Dinan, Daniel Béland, and Michael Howlett

The authors examine domestic policymaking processes amidst polycrisis by tracing the Canadian government’s development of its Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) during the Covid-19 pandemic. They argue that the process…

After Neoliberalism: Economic Theory and Policy in the Polycrisis

February 2, 2024

Michael Jacobs

This article offers an ‘institutionally pluralist’ view proposing different kinds of institutions for five different spheres of economic life. It argues that economic policy should be seen as a process…

Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2024. Forensic Insights for Future Resilience: Learning from Past Disasters

January 30, 2024

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

The GAR 2024 report examines current and emerging trends through forensic analysis of ten recent disasters, identifying key drivers of vulnerability such as poverty, inequality, unplanned urbanization, and weak enforcement…

Decision-Making in the Polycrisis Era

January 29, 2024

Daniel Wagner and Ben Cattaneo

The authors explore the challenges decision makers face to address the impact of polycrisis on essential operational functions such as risk management and strategic planning. They offer insights and tools…

A Dynamic Network Model of Societal Complexity and Resilience Inspired by Tainter’s Theory of Collapse

January 23, 2024

Florian Schunck, Marc Wiedermann, Jobst Heitzig and Jonathan F. Donges

This study examines the dynamics of societal collapse based on Joseph Tainter’s theory of the “collapse of complex societies.” It explores how rising societal complexity influences productivity and the likelihood…

Polycrisis in the Anthropocene: An Invitation to Contributions and Debates

January 17, 2024

Michael Lawrence

This commentary introduces “Polycrisis in the Anthropocene,” a special issue of Global Sustainability journal. It elaborates upon three major contributions of the issue’s lead article, “Global Polycrisis: The Causal Mechanisms…

Global Polycrisis: The Causal Mechanisms of Crisis Entanglement

January 17, 2024

Michael Lawrence, Thomas Homer-Dixon, Scott Janzwood, Johan Rockström, Ortwin Renn, and Jonathan F. Donges

The authors translate polycrisis from a loose concept into a research agenda by providing the concept with a substantive definition, highlighting its value-added in comparison to related concepts, and developing…

Global Risks Report 2024

January 10, 2024

World Economic Forum

This 19th edition of the World Economic Forum’s annual Global Risk Report is based on a risk perception survey conducted with nearly 1500 experts from academia, government, business, and civil…

World Migration Report 2024

January 9, 2024

Marie McAuliffe and Linda Adhiambo Oucho (eds.)

The World Migration Report 2024 provides updated global and regional migration statistics and offers in-depth analysis of the complex and interconnected drivers of migration. A central focus of the report…

About the Resource Library

The Polycrisis Resource Library includes resources that:

  • Comment on the polycrisis as a concept and as a present global reality
  • Undertake similar analysis using different—but related—concepts
  • Analyze crisis interactions among multiple global systems

Though not exhaustive, the Library strives to present a diverse representation of views on different aspects of the polycrisis discussion, and will be updated as that discussion evolves. Search for resources with the keyword search bar, or by using the drop-down menus to filter for type of resource, global systems addressed, and key themes.

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