Learning resource

Malte Brosig examines the conditions under which crises may transmit across systems, presenting a conceptual analysis that draws on a diverse set of theoretical frameworks, including neofunctionalism, rational choice, complexity theory, assemblage theory, and epidemiology. He argues that crisis transmission is not automatic but may be shaped by factors such as stressor similarity, functional interdependencies,

Stephen J. Purdey explores how the polycrisis has emerged as a growing threat despite humanity’s shared desire for safety and prosperity. He argues that its material dimensions are rooted in and legitimized by an underlying belief system. Key elements of this system include an exaggerated sense of human exceptionalism, an anthropocentric worldview, and a licentious

In this article, Erik Assadourian explores how interventions during the polycrisis can be designed to be most effective in fostering a better post-polycrisis future, while also strengthening society’s ability to respond in the present. He argues that while collapse may be increasingly likely, societies still have opportunities to shape what comes after. Assadourian emphasizes the

The authors explore the intersection of revolutionary theory and emerging polycrisis discourses, examining how various international and national factors become intertwined, creating polycrisis events that can lead to revolutionary moments. These revolutionary moments can, in turn, exacerbate stresses that contribute to systemic dysfunction elsewhere, due to the entanglement of global systems. Through case studies of