Adaptive capacity of community and local institutions during power outage
Monday, July 20, 2026, 11:00 AM
Session: SOC Poster Session (Overflow) (In-person)
As power outages caused by the severe weather and conflicts grow more frequent, understanding how communities and institutions build adaptive capacity is critical. This study uses a causal loop diagram (CLD), developed within a PhD research project, to model how repeated outages shape resilience. The CLD captures two dynamics: repeated outages progressively building adaptive capacity through coping, learning, and social coordination; and excessive outages depleting resources, shifting recovery burdens onto institutions. Four feedback loops (two balancing, two reinforcing) represent interactions between community preparedness, social capital, institutional recovery, and governance quality. Adaptive capacity emerges as a dynamic, threshold-dependent process requiring coordinated responses.