Hazinesi

Hazinesi is a term used in theoretical discussions of community resilience to describe a class of practices through which groups coordinate to anticipate, mutualize, and mitigate hazards. The coinage is typified by informal networks, local knowledge, and voluntary cooperation designed to share burden and reduce exposure to risk. In the hazinesi model, risk is managed through three interlocking mechanisms: risk pooling, information exchange, and adaptive governance. Members contribute labor, material resources, or funds during calm periods, which are then allocated during emergencies or high-risk times. Information networks—often informal and trust-based—facilitate rapid dissemination of warnings and verified guidance, while adaptive governance allows rules and norms to evolve in response to new hazards or shifting conditions.

Hazinesi is typically explored in theoretical or fictional contexts, where researchers use it to compare with formal institutions and to analyze how social capital shapes resilience. Critics argue that hazinesi can overstate voluntary cooperation, neglect unequal power relations, and vary greatly across cultures and settings. Proponents emphasize its potential to complement formal disaster response by filling gaps in official systems and by fostering locally appropriate solutions.

In practice, hazinesi-style arrangements are compared to mutual aid, community-based disaster risk reduction, and informal insurance. See also mutual aid, social networks, disaster resilience, and risk governance.