The Scientific Connotation and Practical Direction of Enhancing Social Resilience

Resilience refers to the ability or state of a thing to maintain the stability and effectiveness of its basic functions under environmental pressure, generally measured by its capacity for adaptation and transformation when facing crises or challenges. From the perspective of social operation, resilience is the ability of a social system to maintain its own structure-function when subjected to shocks, disturbances, or uncertainties, and to become stronger through timely adjustment and change. The *Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development* (hereinafter referred to as the *Proposal*), reviewed and approved at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC [1]1 The *Proposal* refers to the *CPC Central Committee’s Proposal on Formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035*, adopted at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee in October 2020., emphasizes the need to “enhance economic and social resilience,” based on a scientific grasp of China’s modernization development stage and an active response to complex changes in the internal and external environment. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period [2]2 Xi Jinping, “Secure a Decisive Victory in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects and Strive for the Great Success of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,” report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC, October 18, 2017., China’s strategic development opportunities and risk challenges coexist, with increasing uncertainties and unpredictable factors. Further enhancing social resilience is of great significance for seizing the momentum to continuously advance Chinese-path modernization and for writing a new chapter in the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability.

韧性是指事物在环境压力下仍能维持基本功能的稳定性和有效性的能力或状态，一般以其面对危机或挑战时的适应性和变革性能力为测评标准。从社会运行层面看，韧性是社会系统在受到冲击、干扰或面临不确定性时，能够维持自身的结构—功能、在适时调整变化中变得更加强大的能力。党的二十届四中全会审议通过的《中共中央关于制定国民经济和社会发展第十五个五年规划的建议》（以下简称《建议》），立足对我国现代化发展阶段的科学把握和对内外环境复杂变化的积极应对，强调要“增强经济和社会韧性”。“十五五”时期，我国发展战略机遇和风险挑战并存、不确定难预料因素增多，进一步增强社会韧性，对于乘势而上、接续推进中国式现代化建设，续写经济快速发展和社会长期稳定两大奇迹新篇章，具有重大意义。

1. Give Full Play to the Resilience Advantages of a Super-Large Country

1.发挥好超大规模国家的韧性优势

China is a super-large country with a huge population, vast territorial space, a massive economic volume, and a long history and culture. Super-large scale means richer resource endowments, broader market space, stronger risk-diversification capabilities, and deeper governance wisdom. These are not only China’s basic national conditions but also shape China’s unique social resilience advantages.

中国是一个人口规模巨大、地域空间广阔、经济体量庞大、历史文化悠久的超大规模国家。超大规模意味着更丰富的资源禀赋、更广阔的市场空间、更强的风险分散能力和更深厚的治国理政智慧，这些既是中国的基本国情，也塑造了中国独特的社会韧性优势。

Steadily expanding economic scale. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period [3]3 The “Fengqiao Experience” originated in the 1960s in Fengqiao Township, Zhejiang Province, as a method of resolving conflicts through mass-line mediation. It has been repeatedly updated and promoted nationwide as a model for grassroots social governance., China’s total economic output successively exceeded 110 trillion yuan, 120 trillion yuan, 130 trillion yuan, and 140 trillion yuan, achieving a “four consecutive

稳步扩大的经济规模。“十四五”时期，中国经济总量先后突破110万亿元、120万亿元、130万亿元、140万亿元，实现“四连跳”。习近平总书记指出，“当今世界，最稀缺的资源是市场。市场资源是我国的巨大优势”。大国经济回旋余地大，内部可循环，发展空间广。作为世界第二大经济体，中国拥有14亿多人口的超大规模市场和世界规模最大、超过4亿人的中等收入群体，经济基础稳、优势多、韧性强、潜能大。同时，中国建立了全球最完整的工业体系，涵盖41个工业大类、207个工业中类和666个工业小类，成为全球唯一拥有联合国产业分类中全部工业门类的国家。超大规模经济系统的完整性、多样性和回旋空间，是社会韧性的支撑性优势。

A social security system with extensive coverage. China has built the world’s largest, most functionally complete social security system with distinctive Chinese characteristics. This vast social security system ensures that individuals receive basic protection when facing foreseeable or unforeseeable changes and fluctuations such as old age, illness, and unemployment. Improvements in basic livelihoods have strengthened the overall capacity of the whole society to resist risks. A large-scale, multi-tiered social security system possesses more pronounced advantages in risk diversification and risk-sharing capacity. The *Proposal* [1]1 The *Proposal* refers to the *CPC Central Committee’s Proposal on Formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035*, adopted at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee in October 2020. puts forward a series of policies to improve the quality and expand the coverage of the social security system, such as “accelerating the development of a multi-tiered, multi-pillar old-age insurance system,” “improving the multi-tiered medical security system,” “expanding the coverage of unemployment and work-related injury insurance,” and “increasing the insurance participation rate for flexible employment personnel, migrant workers, and those in new forms of employment.” These policies are conducive to effectively responding to issues such as demographic changes, economic fluctuations, and the gap between rich and poor, promoting social fairness and justice, and achieving a higher level of social stability and security.

覆盖广泛的社会保障体系。中国已建成世界上规模最大、功能完备、具有鲜明中国特色的社会保障体系。庞大的社会保障体系确保个体在面临年老、疾病、失业等可预见或不可预见的变化波动时能获得基本保障，基本民生的改善强化了全社会抵御风险的整体能力。大规模、多层次的社会保障体系，具有更加显著的风险分散优势和风险共济能力。《建议》提出“加快发展多层次、多支柱养老保险体系”“健全多层次医疗保障体系”“扩大失业、工伤保险覆盖面”“提高灵活就业人员、农民工、新就业形态人员参保率”等一系列对社会保障体系提质扩面的政策，有利于有效应对人口结构变化、经济波动、贫富差距等问题，促进社会公平正义，实现更高层次的社会稳定与安全。

Governance practice and wisdom of a mega-country. National stability and the people’s peace are a fine ideal cherished by the Chinese nation since ancient times, the most basic and universal aspiration of the people, and also the goal of the struggle of the Communist Party of China. To govern a mega-country, it is necessary to develop unique governance wisdom commensurate with it. Build a foundation for enduring peace and cultivate a legacy of long-term stability. Development and security prosper together, weaken apart, and perish in opposition—this is the governance experience accumulated over more than five thousand years of Chinese civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Coordinating development and security, enhancing vigilance, and remaining prepared for danger in times of safety is a major principle of our Party’s governance.” [2]2 Xi Jinping, “Secure a Decisive Victory in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects and Strive for the Great Success of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,” report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC, October 18, 2017. Currently, China is actively building an emergency management system featuring unified command, specialization and routine preparedness, sensitive response, and coordination between upper and lower levels, achieving “resolving disputes and conflicts in one place at most.” The overall level of public security prevention and control has been continuously improved, further strengthening security resilience.

超大规模国家的治理实践和智慧。国泰民安是中华民族自古以来的美好理想，是人民群众最基本、最普遍的愿望，也是中国共产党的奋斗目标。治理超大规模国家，必须发展出与之相适应的独特治理智慧。建久安之势，成长治之业。发展与安全合则兴、离则弱、悖则亡，这是中国五千余年文明沉淀的治理经验。习近平总书记指出：“统筹发展和安全，增强忧患意识，做到居安思危，是我们党治国理政的一个重大原则。”当前，我国正在积极构建统一指挥、专常兼备、反应灵敏、上下联动的应急管理体制，实现解决矛盾纠纷“最多跑一地”，社会治安整体防控水平持续提升，进一步强化了安全韧性。

Always maintaining the organic unity of vitality and order. In the historical process of modernization, properly handling the relationship between vitality and order is a worldwide challenge. Many developing countries face the problem of being unable to achieve both development and stability in the process of modernization. A modernized society should be both full of vitality and well-ordered, presenting an organic unity of vitality and order. Since reform and opening up, as a mega-country, China has created two miracles: rapid economic development and long-term social stability, proving through practice that development and stability, “enlivening” and “managing well,” can achieve a dynamic balance.

始终保持活力与秩序的有机统一。在现代化的历史进程中，处理好活力与秩序这对关系是一道世界性难题。许多发展中国家在现代化过程中面临发展和稳定难以两全的问题。一个现代化的社会，应该既充满活力又拥有良好秩序，呈现活力与秩序有机统一。改革开放以来，作为超大规模国家，中国创造了经济快速发展和社会长期稳定两大奇迹，用实践证明发展与稳定、“放得活”与“管得好”可以实现动态平衡。

2. Enhancing the response, adaptation, and transformation capabilities of the social system with a resilience mindset

2.以韧性思维提升社会系统的应对、适应和转型能力

What the resilience mindset focuses on is not pure “compressive strength” or “passive endurance capacity,” but a thinking paradigm that acknowledges uncertainty and emphasizes rapid recovery, dynamic adjustment, and proactive change. Enhancing resilience emphasizes the ability to find certainty amidst uncertainty, and to adapt, learn, and transform amidst change. After experiencing a shock, a resilient system may return to its original state, or it may adjust itself and transform into a more sustainable and stronger new state. Enhancing social resilience means doing certain things in an uncertain environment, building a social development situation that is shock-resistant, recoverable, and adaptable, and improving the response, adaptation, and transformation capabilities of the social system.

韧性思维关注的不是纯粹的“抗压能力”或“被动承受能力”，而是一种承认不确定性，强调快速恢复、动态调试和主动变革的思维范式。增强韧性强调在不确定性中寻找确定性，在变化中适应、学习和转型的能力。一个具有韧性的系统在经历冲击后，可能会恢复到原有状态，也可能会调整自身，转变为一个更可持续、更加强大的新状态。增强社会韧性就是要在不确定环境下做好确定性的事情，构建抗冲击、能恢复、可适应的社会发展局面，提升社会系统的应对能力、适应能力和转型能力。

Response capability refers to the ability of social subjects to overcome various difficulties and carry out emergency responses. It is an important aspect of measuring social resilience. The response capability of a social system essentially reflects the synergistic effectiveness of multiple subjects. The resilience mindset requires breaking through the limitations of traditional response models and achieving a positive interaction between government governance, social regulation, and resident self-governance. The *Proposal* emphasizes, “Bring into play the principal role of the people and guide all parties to participate in social governance in an orderly manner.” A well-functioning society needs to establish institutional mechanisms for the participation of multiple subjects—including the government, social organizations, enterprises, and the public—in social governance, and build a social governance community where everyone has responsibility, everyone fulfills their duty, and everyone enjoys the benefits. When facing natural disasters, emergencies, or social fluctuations, different social subjects can promptly perform their functions, cooperate efficiently and synergistically, achieve the coordinated use of various governance resources across the whole society, maximize the mobilization of all positive factors, and form a joint social force for response.

应对能力指社会主体克服各种困境、进行应急响应的能力，是衡量社会韧性的重要方面。社会系统的应对能力本质上体现了多元主体的协同效能，韧性思维要求突破传统应对模式的局限，实现政府治理同社会调节、居民自治良性互动。《建议》强调，“发挥人民群众主体作用，引导各方有序参与社会治理”。一个良性运转的社会需要建立政府、社会组织、企业、民众等多元主体参与社会治理的体制机制，建设人人有责、人人尽责、人人享有的社会治理共同体。当面临自然灾害、突发事件或社会波动时，不同社会主体能够及时发挥自身功能、高效协同配合，在全社会范围内实现各种治理资源统筹运用，最大限度调动一切积极因素，形成全社会的应对合力。

Adaptation capability emphasizes that the social system learns from past experiences and adjusts itself to better face future uncertain challenges. It is a transcendence of passive response. The key to enhancing social resilience from the level of adaptation capability lies in continuous learning, innovating institutional mechanisms, establishing a sound public safety system, and promoting the transformation of the public safety governance model towards prevention before incidents occur. The best way to govern society is to dissolve conflicts before they arise and resolve risks before they take shape. In this regard, it is necessary to uphold and develop the “Fengqiao Experience” in the New Era [3]3 The “Fengqiao Experience” originated in the 1960s in Fengqiao Township, Zhejiang Province, as a method of resolving conflicts through mass-line mediation. It has been repeatedly updated and promoted nationwide as a model for grassroots social governance., deeply promote the resolution of conflicts and disputes at their source, and carry out differentiated governance innovations based on local realities. In terms of handling potential crises, it is necessary to enhance the awareness and ability to prevent and defuse risks in key areas. Currently, technological means such as artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, and blockchain have created new opportunities and conditions for enhancing social resilience. It is necessary to strengthen the application of cutting-edge technologies in social governance, build digital infrastructure such as “smart brains” and social risk monitoring and early warning systems, strengthen data empowerment and technology empowerment, and more promptly and keenly detect changes in economic fluctuations, public safety, social public opinion, etc., thereby carrying out forward-looking responses and handling.

适应能力强调社会系统从过去的经验中学习并调整自身，从而更好地面对未来的不确定性挑战，是对被动应对的超越。从适应能力层面增强社会韧性，关键在于持续学习，创新制度机制，建立完善的公共安全体系，推动公共安全治理模式向事前预防转型。社会治理的最好办法，就是将矛盾消解于未然，将风险化解于无形。对此，要坚持和发展新时代“枫桥经验”，深入推动矛盾纠纷源头化解，立足本地实际开展差异化的治理创新。在处置潜在危机方面，要提高防范化解重点领域风险的意识和能力。当前，人工智能、大数据、云计算、区块链等技术手段为增强社会韧性创造了新的机遇和条件。要加强前沿技术在社会治理中的应用，建设“智慧大脑”、社会风险监测预警体系等数字基础设施，强化数据赋能、技术赋能，更及时敏锐地发现经济波动、公共安全、社会舆情等方面的变化，从而进行前瞻性的应对处置。

Transformative capacity refers to the ability of a social system not only to respond to emergencies and adapt to changes, but also to proactively establish and improve the social institutional system, with the goal of enhancing people’s welfare and promoting social fairness and justice, thereby strengthening social resilience in the face of future crises. “Transformation” implies an upgrade of the entire social system, a leap toward a state that is fairer, more sustainable, and more dynamic. The “Proposal” [4]4 The “Proposal” refers to the “Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035,” adopted at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC in October 2020. states, “steadily advance the equalization of basic public services.” Basic public services are the core element underpinning the overall degree of social resilience. Improving the public service system is an inevitable requirement for safeguarding and improving people’s livelihoods and promoting social harmony and stability. Social resilience should be enhanced from the perspective of social system design, with particular attention to groups such as the elderly, children, persons with disabilities, and low-income earners, promoting the scientific and balanced allocation of more public services to grassroots levels, rural areas, remote regions, and people with living difficulties, so as to meet multi-level and diversified social needs.

转型能力指社会系统不仅能应急响应和适应变化，更能主动建立和完善社会制度体系，以增进人民福祉和促进社会公平正义为目标，增强社会应对未来危机的韧性。“转型”意味着整个社会系统的升级，是向更公平、更可持续、更具活力的状态跃迁。《建议》提出，“稳步推进基本公共服务均等化”。基本公共服务是支撑总体社会韧性程度的核心要素。完善公共服务体系是保障和改善民生、促进社会和谐稳定的必然要求。应从社会制度设计出发来增强社会韧性，特别要关注老人、儿童、残疾人、低收入者等群体，推动更多公共服务向基层、农村、边远地区和生活困难群众科学均衡配置，满足多层次多样化的社会需求。

3. Key Areas for Enhancing Social Resilience

3.增强社会韧性的重点领域

Enhancing social resilience aims to improve the social system’s ability to prevent crises, respond to crises, recover from crises, and continuously grow stronger through proactive, systematic planning and action. From the perspective of basic pathways, the formation and governance of a resilient society must focus on the three stages of before, during, and after an event, carrying out a “full-cycle construction” that unifies these stages, controlling the scope, extent, and impact of the initial shock, and creating conditions for social recovery and development.

增强社会韧性旨在通过主动系统的规划和行动来提升社会系统预防危机、应对危机和从危机中恢复并不断变强的能力。从基本路径来看，韧性社会的形成和治理要聚焦事前、事中、事后，进行三者相统一的“全周期建设”，控制初始冲击的范围、程度和影响，为社会恢复、发展创造条件。

Synergistically enhance economic resilience and social resilience. Economic resilience is the foundation of social resilience; maintaining social order, providing public services, and ensuring people’s livelihoods and well-being all require the support of economic development. A resilient economic system generally possesses conditions such as a reasonable growth rate, a complete industrial system, a diversified economic structure, stable employment opportunities, and sustainable financial resources. These economic elements are the material basis for sustaining basic social operations and the cohesion of social members. Therefore, enhancing social resilience requires exploring an inclusive and sustainable path of high-quality economic development. The “Proposal” emphasizes, “promote the effective improvement of quality and reasonable growth of quantity in the economy.” Enhancing social resilience also requires handling the dialectical unity of development and governance. Looking at governance practices across countries, if social governance fails to keep pace with the speed of economic development, and various social contradictions and problems are not effectively resolved, not only will economic development become unsustainable, but the entire society may also fall into turmoil. The faster the economic development, the more it requires coordinated adjustments at the social level, continuously improving the governance system and advancing the modernization of social governance.

协同增强经济韧性和社会韧性。经济韧性是社会韧性的根基，维系社会秩序、提供公共服务、保障民生福祉都需要经济发展的支撑。一个韧性强的经济系统，一般具备合理的增长速度、完整的产业体系、多元的经济结构、稳定的就业机会、可持续的财力资源等条件，这些经济要素是维持社会基本运转和社会成员凝聚力的物质基础。因此，增强社会韧性要探索具有包容性、可持续的经济高质量发展路径。《建议》强调，“推动经济实现质的有效提升和量的合理增长”。增强社会韧性还要求处理好发展与治理的辩证统一关系。纵观各国治理实践，如果社会治理跟不上经济发展步伐，各种社会矛盾和问题得不到有效解决，不仅经济发展难以为继，整个社会也可能陷入动荡。经济发展越快，越需要社会层面的协同调整，不断完善治理体系，推进社会治理现代化。

Build a resilient infrastructure system. The construction of resilient infrastructure is conducive to responding to destructive events such as extreme weather, sudden crises, and cyberattacks, and is of great significance for continuously improving the capacity for disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief, as well as the ability to ensure and handle major public emergencies. The “Proposal” states, “build a modern infrastructure system. Strengthen the overall planning of infrastructure, optimize the layout and structure, promote integration and convergence, and enhance safety resilience and operational sustainability,” and “improve the intrinsic safety level of important infrastructure.” The concept of intrinsic safety is widely applied in fields such as industrial production, transportation, and emergency management, aiming to enable infrastructure to maintain basic functions, withstand shocks, and recover quickly when facing destructive impacts through optimization in design, construction, operation, and maintenance. It is necessary to improve safety technical standards and specifications for infrastructure, focus on risk assessment and resilient design, and promote high-quality construction; establish a full-cycle management system covering preventive maintenance, routine upkeep, and emergency repair to enhance the durability and reliability of facilities; and make full use of advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, and artificial intelligence for real-time monitoring and intelligent early warning of facilities, achieving early detection and early handling of risks.

建设具有韧性的基础设施体系。韧性基础设施的建设有利于应对极端天气、突发危机和网络攻击等破坏性事件，对不断提高防灾减灾救灾和重大突发公共事件处置保障能力有重要意义。《建议》提出，“构建现代化基础设施体系。加强基础设施统筹规划，优化布局结构，促进集成融合，提升安全韧性和运营可持续性”，“提升重要基础设施本质安全水平”。本质安全概念广泛应用于工业生产、交通运输、应急管理等领域，旨在通过设计、建设、运行和维护等环节的优化，使基础设施在面对破坏性冲击时能够保持基本功能、抵御冲击并快速恢复。应完善基础设施安全技术标准规范，注重风险评估和韧性设计，推进精品建设；建立预防性养护、常态化维护、应急修复的全周期管理体系，增强设施的耐久性和可靠性；充分利用物联网、大数据、人工智能等先进技术对设施进行实时监测和智能预警，实现风险早发现、早处置。

Build a future-oriented new security framework. Currently, the world is undergoing accelerated changes unseen in a century, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is deepening, the internet is profoundly changing the way humans interact, and artificial intelligence is bringing new challenges to social governance. At the same time, China’s social structure, social relations, and social psychology are undergoing changes. In the New Era, the connotation of China’s social security has become richer and its extension greatly expanded; public security, urban security, and cultural security are deeply embedded in social security, while security in emerging fields such as big data, artificial intelligence, and biomedicine is broadly linked to social security. Forward-looking deployment is needed to respond to new practical changes and possible future risks. On the one hand, risk prevention and control must achieve full coverage of physical space, digital space, and social space, establish a broad security concept, and address the challenges of social risks having many trigger points, low ignition points, and rapid transmission. On the other hand, it is necessary to continuously improve the risk governance system, promote reform, innovation, and dynamic adjustments at the levels of institutional mechanisms, organizational models, force deployment, means and methods, and security concepts, to better adapt to economic and social development, advance the modernization of the national security system and capacity, and build a higher level of Peaceful China.

构建面向未来的新安全格局。当前，世界百年变局加速演进，新一轮科技革命和产业变革深入发展，互联网深刻改变人类交往方式，人工智能给社会治理带来新的挑战。同时，中国的社会结构、社会关系、社会心理等正在发生变化。新时代中国社会安全的内涵更加丰富、外延大大拓展，公共安全、城市安全、文化安全等深度嵌入社会安全，大数据、人工智能、生物医药等新兴领域安全广泛关联社会安全，需要前瞻布局，应对新的现实变化和可能的未来风险。一方面，风险防控要实现对物理空间、数字空间和社会空间的全覆盖，树立大安全观，应对社会风险触点多、燃点低、传导快的挑战。另一方面，要不断完善风险治理体系，推进制度机制、组织模式、力量布局、手段方式和安全理念等层面的改革创新和动态调整，更好适应经济社会发展，推进国家安全体系和能力现代化，建设更高水平平安中国。

(Authors: He Haigen and Sun Daiyao, respectively Associate Professor at the Department of Scientific Socialism, Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC [National Academy of Governance], and Professor at the School of Marxism, Peking University)

（作者：何海根、孙代尧，分别系中央党校〔国家行政学院〕科学社会主义教研部副教授、北京大学马克思主义学院教授）