The Resilient Society

An acclaimed economist’s fully revised and expanded guide to how resilient thinking helps us thrive in a world filled with unknown risks

Risks are ubiquitous in our world. In recent years, a changing global order, the war in Ukraine, food insecurity in emerging and developing economies, the COVID pandemic, and increasingly severe weather events have exposed our vulnerabilities and heightened our awareness that large, unexpected events can upend our lives at any moment. Describing how individuals, institutions, and nations can successfully navigate a dynamic, globalized economy filled with unknown risk, Markus K. Brunnermeier argues for adopting resilience as a central tenet of decision-making. Different from risk avoidance—which involves a cost-benefit analysis by weighing the outcome of various scenarios and choosing the less risky one—resilience focuses on the ability to bounce back from shocks and setbacks.

Written for business leaders, economists, policymakers, and politically interested individuals, this wholly revised edition of the award-winning The Resilient Society applies macroeconomic insights to public health, innovation, public debt overhang, inflation, inequality, climate change, and other challenges to the global order. Brunnermeier shows how the concept of resilience can be a compass for developing a social contract that benefits us all.