The Resilience Dividend

Judith Rodin has been president of The Rockefeller Foundation since 2005. During her tenure she has recalibrated its focus to meet the challenges and disruptions of the twenty-first century, to support and shape innovations that strengthen resilience and build more inclusive economies. A research psychologist by training, Dr. Rodin was the first woman to serve as president of an Ivy League institution, the University of Pennsylvania. She was the provost and dean of the graduate school at Yale University. She serves on the boards of corporations and nonprofit institutions, has received nineteen honorary degrees, and is widely recognized as a global leader.

Building resilience,the ability to bounce back more quickly and effectively,is an urgent social and economic issue. Our interconnected world is susceptible to sudden and dramatic shocks and stresses: a cyber-attack, a new strain of virus, a structural failure, a violent storm, a civil disturbance, an economic blow. Through an astonishing range of stories, Judith Rodin shows how people, organizations, businesses, communities, and cities have developed resilience in the face of otherwise catastrophic challenges: Medellin, Colombia, was once the drug and murder capital of South America. Now it's host to international conferences and an emerging vacation destination. Tulsa, Oklahoma, cracked the code of rapid urban development in a floodplain. Airbnb, Toyota, Ikea, Coca-Cola, and other companies have realized the value of reducing vulnerabilities and potential threats to customers, employees, and their bottom line. In the Mau Forest of Kenya, bottom-up solutions are critical for dealing with climate change, environmental degradation, and displacement of locals. Following Superstorm Sandy, the Rockaway Surf Club in New York played a vital role in distributing emergency supplies. As we grow more adept at managing disruption and more skilled at resilience-building, Rodin reveals how we are able to create and take advantage of new economic and social opportunities that offer us the capacity to recover after catastrophes and grow strong in times of relative calm.