Social Order and Governance Archives

Navigating Systemic Risk in the Age of Polycrisis

In this episode, Ajay Gambhir, Director of Systemic Risk Assessment at ASRA, explores the concept of polycrisis, showing how climate change is deeply interconnected with other global challenges across social, economic, and political systems. He highlights how crises reinforce one another, creating complex feedbacks that demand integrated solutions. A central theme is inequality, which shapes […]

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Polycrisis — is this the sequel?

In this article, Adam Tooze revisits the concept of “polycrisis,” noting that while the term remains relevant in certain regional and institutional contexts, it appears less applicable as a descriptor of 2025 landscape. He contrasts the intense disruptions of 2020–2022 with the current relative calm in financial markets, despite ongoing geopolitical tensions. Tooze suggests that

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Chartbook 407: Polycrisis Revisited: Are we beyond Neoliberal Order Breakdown Syndrome?

In Chartbook 407, Adam Tooze revisits the concept of polycrisis, examining how overlapping economic, geopolitical, environmental, and social disruptions interact to amplify systemic fragility. He questions whether the world has moved beyond what he terms the Neoliberal Order Breakdown Syndrome, and whether we are witnessing the end of the neoliberal era or merely its transformation.

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Planetary Peace for Human Security: Responses to Existential Risks in the Anthropocene

In this report, the Club of Rome argues that the current peace architecture, largely shaped by a few dominant powers in the post–World War II era, is no longer fit for purpose. A post-hegemonic, pluriversal future is needed—one that embraces diverse worldviews, rebalances global power structures, and cultivates harmony between humanity and nature. The Club

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Echoes of Uncertainty: Reimagining Complexity of Global Risks in the Shadow of the Russian–Ukrainian Conflict

The authors explore risk perceptions in Ukraine and Poland in the context of the ongoing Russian–Ukrainian conflict. Drawing on cross-sectional survey data, the research reveals significant differences in how respondents from both countries perceive a range of global threats. By comparing perceptions of multiple potential risks that individuals may face in the foreseeable future, the

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Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse

Luke Kemp explores the historical patterns and future risks of societal collapse, tracing the evolution of human societies from egalitarian hunter-gatherers to hierarchical empires dominated by extractive elites. He argues that large, centralised systems, “Goliaths”, become increasingly fragile as inequality and concentrations of power grow, ultimately hollowing them out before external shocks bring them down.

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Ability of Politicians to Act – Climate Protection in the Era of the Polycrisis

This report examines five key societal and economic developments that significantly influence the ability of politicians to act in an era of polycrisis. These include: the global polycrisis as a defining condition of our time; increasing fragmentation within society; the structural transformation of the public sphere from mass media to micro-publics; the growing limitations of

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Polycrisis! Implications for Public Policy in the Global South

This book explores contemporary public policy and governance in the Global South, offering comparative analyses and detailed case studies from Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. It examines how governments are navigating 21st-century challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, democratic backsliding, deteriorating public services, and geopolitical shifts linked to the rise

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Rethinking Societal Resilience in a Time of Polycrisis

The authors presents key insights from a scoping review on societal resilience in the context of polycrisis. It emphasises that strengthening societal resilience in the polycrisis requires a clear understanding of how interdependent and causally entangled crises interact. This understanding can inform the development of targeted policies that address the underlying drivers of vulnerability and

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Public Administration in an Age of Polycrises: Multi-nodal Governance Approaches in Some South East Asian Countries

In this chapter, the authors explore how public administration can effectively respond to the contemporary polycrisis. Using a multi-nodal governance framework, the chapter examines how selected Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam, have navigated complex challenges such as environmental issues, disaster management, health and pandemic responses, and the rise

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