Influence of social capital on community resilience in the case of emergency situations in Romania

Abstract

Researches have highlighted the importance of social capital existing in a community for post-disaster recovery and therefore for strengthening the social infrastructure of a community in order to increase the level of resilience to hazards. The article analyzes the manifestations of cognitive social capital before, during and after a disaster, with the aim of identifying whether communities where people tend to help each other more are perceived to be more resilient in the case of natural and human caused disasters. The analysis is based on a research conducted at the national level on a sample of 277 City Halls from Romania between September and November 2016. The findings of the research show that people provide help to others with which they are emotionally connected, such as relatives and neighbors. Residents tend to provide help in the form of sharing information and contributing to saving lives and the belongings of other people; they provide emotional support and carrying for children, disabled or elderly people. The research found an association between different forms of community support and the perception on community resilience.