Social Learning and Resilience Building in the emBRACE framework

The report argues that social learning—learning embedded within social networks—is essential for developing the adaptive capacity required for community resilience. It distinguishes between single, double, and triple-loop learning, noting that deeper reflection is necessary for transformative change. Using case studies from the UK (floods and heatwaves) and Turkey (earthquakes), the document explores triggers for learning, such as the 'window of opportunity' following a disaster, and the role of 'mavens' or opinion leaders in diffusing knowledge. It highlights barriers including path dependence, power imbalances, and the risk of 'well-informed' individuals feeling a false sense of security. The report concludes that resilience should be viewed as a continuous process of 'bouncing forward' rather than a static end state.

• Social learning is defined as learning that extends beyond the individual to be embedded within social networks, such as households, villages, or global communities, and is not merely the linear sum of individual learning.
• The report utilizes a loop-learning heuristic where single-loop learning corrects specific instruments, double-loop learning adjusts fundamental values and policies, and triple-loop learning challenges governance norms and the role of human agency.
• In the UK Cumbria case study, Community Emergency Planning (CEP) and Flood Action Groups (FAG) demonstrated that prior experience with hazards (such as the 2005 floods) increased community 'flood-awareness' and improved coordinated responses during later events like the 2009 floods.
• Research in Turkey regarding earthquake resilience indicates that a 'forgetting' cycle occurs where disaster preparedness is lost between generations, and that social solidarity is a primary factor in post-quake coping and adaptation.
• The London heatwave case study revealed that highly educated and 'well-informed' elderly individuals may experience a false sense of security and social isolation, which can paradoxically increase their vulnerability despite their knowledge capital.
• Effective social learning for resilience is hindered by 'path dependence,' where future decisions are constrained by historical infrastructural investments or ingrained social disparities, such as gender inequality.
• The report identifies 'mavens' or opinion leaders as critical for the bottom-up diffusion of new practices, though they can also act as 'gatekeepers' who block the flow of new knowledge.
• A critical barrier to social learning in the elderly population is the use of paternalistic or 'insulting' communication from health authorities, which leads individuals to ignore official advice in favor of informal social networks.
• The report argues that disaster events can serve as 'threshold events' or windows of opportunity that trigger the most profound form of transformational learning when a system is highly vulnerable.

APA

Pelling, M., Sharpe, J., Pearson, L., Abeling, T., Swartling, Å. G., Forrester, J., & Deeming, H. (2015). Social Learning and Resilience Building in the emBRACE framework. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2015-TechnicalReport-SocialLearning-emBRACE.pdf

Chicago

Pelling, Mark, Justin Sharpe, Lucy Pearson, Thomas Abeling, Åsa Gerger Swartling, John Forrester, and Hugh Deeming. Social Learning and Resilience Building in the emBRACE framework. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2015. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2015-TechnicalReport-SocialLearning-emBRACE.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pelling |first1=Mark |last2=Sharpe |first2=Justin |last3=Pearson |first3=Lucy |last4=Abeling |first4=Thomas |last5=Swartling |first5=Åsa Gerger |last6=Forrester |first6=John |last7=Deeming |first7=Hugh |title=Social Learning and Resilience Building in the emBRACE framework |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=26 March 2015 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2015-TechnicalReport-SocialLearning-emBRACE.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pelling2015social, author = {Pelling, Mark and Sharpe, Justin and Pearson, Lucy and Abeling, Thomas and Swartling, Åsa Gerger and Forrester, John and Deeming, Hugh}, title = {{Social Learning and Resilience Building in the emBRACE framework}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2015-TechnicalReport-SocialLearning-emBRACE.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }