A social crisis (or alternately a societal crisis) is a crisis in which the basic structure of a society experiences some drastic interruption or decline.
Overview
A social crisis can be sudden and immediate, or it can be some gross societal inequity which might take decades to develop, or it could be a wide range of scenarios or situations which fall somewhere between those conceptual modes. This can include
- a political crisis such as a coup d'etat, or mass civil disorder, due to political and/or social disorder, due to military conflict, or mass protests, or dysfunction within any part of or the central body of governemnt.
- an economic crisis which can range from or include possible economic collapse, or any economic shock, or any breakdown or major dysfunctions within the economic system ,
- or a major upheaval due to a natural disaster, which can include severe weather, or epidemics, or drought, or famine, or other events related to the natural world.
It can include a major disruption in daily social and economic activity due to
- mass disorder, or any of a range of possible social hazards,
- ransomware attacks, cyber-attacks,
- supply chain breakdowns.
It can also include major political crises which either cause some major decline in government, a total stoppage of government. This can include:
- a constitutional crisis, usually some crisis in which basic institutions are in conflict.
- a cabinet crisis, in which either individuals or groups who compose the cabinet are unable to reach agreement to govern together effectively.
- a government shutdown, usually when the government must shut down for some period of time due to lack of budgeted funds.
It can also include major political conflicts within the population itself. this can include
- outright armed conflict between militarized forces,
- social disorder and upheaval due to some major societal issue,
- attempted mass uprisings by the population as a whole,
- Physical confict against the central government,. or between groups within society, by significant societal groups delineated by economic class, or ethnicity or any other grouping,
- Mass protest and/or conflict in response to perceived inequities by the central government.
A social crisis can consist of one, some, or all of these factors, in any combination. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
See also
References
- ^ Covid-19 as a Social Crisis and Justice Challenge for Cities, Annegret Haase, Department of Urban and Environmental Sociology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Leipzig, Germany, accessed June 7, 2022.
- ^ Movements, Societal Crisis, and Organizational Theory, Brayden G King,Edward J. Carberry, First published: 15 September 2020, Wiley website.
- ^ COVID-19, school closures, and child poverty: a social crisis in the making, The Lancet Public Health ,Volume 5, Issue 5, May 2020, Pages e243-e244, by Wim Van Lancker, Zachary Parolin.
- ^ Book Review of Information Inequality: The Deepening Social Crisis in America Herbert I. Schiller, New York: Routledge, 1996.Journal of Government Information Volume 30, Issue 1, 2004, Pages 120-123 Journal of Government Information.
- ^ Economic crisis, structural adjustment and social crisis in Nigeria, Julius O.Ihonvbere, World Development Volume 21, Issue 1, January 1993, Pages 141-153.
- ^ THE GLOBAL SOCIAL CRISIS: Report on the World Social Situation 2011 United Nations official website, accessed June 7, 2022.
- ^ Lebanon Sinking into One of the Most Severe Global Crises Episodes, amidst Deliberate Inaction, JUNE 1, 2021, World Bank website, accessed June 7, 2022.