The Nexus between Economic Development, Social Capital and Societal Resilience in the Baltic States
Aim
Description
In today's complex global landscape, societies face emerging threats from cognitive warfare that targets human cognition to influence behaviours and destabilise societies. This project focuses on enhancing societal resilience against such threats, with a specific emphasis on the Baltic States: Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, and investigates how cognitive warfare exploits societal vulnerabilities, including trust dynamics, social cohesion, and economic security. Existing theoretical literature and research have not extensively analysed the concepts of cognitive warfare and societal resilience thus project aims at developing a new theoretical knowledge.
The project is structured into three Work Packages, each building on the previous one to ensure a comprehensive approach: Develop a comprehensive theoretical framework and research methodology; Collect socio-economic and governance data through cabinet research, identify and interview key stakeholders influencing societal resilience across the Baltic States; Synthesise findings into a novel theoretical framework, benchmarking against the best practice examples and prepare policy briefs for Latvian policymakers.
Key deliverables include scientific publications, a monograph, and policy briefs. Public engagement is central, with regular updates via institutional websites, social media, conferences, and seminars. By fostering collaboration among stakeholders, the project aims to empower positive change and strengthen societal security against cognitive warfare threats.
Project Achievements
- Participation in European Researchers’ Night 26.09.2025
Participation in European Researchers’ Night 2025 with the activity "Letter to the Future"
- Project updates by 31 August 2025
The project was launched in March 2025. Administrative documentation was prepared and approved in line with RSU internal procedures, including the project budget, Data Management Plan, and public communication materials such as the RSU website entry and launch poster.
The first research activity (WP1) “Development of the Theoretical Research Framework” was initiated. A conceptual framework was developed, defining societal resilience as the will to resist the impact of cognitive warfare. Work advanced on the first academic publication (working title: “Societal Resilience as a Will to Resist: Conceptualising Cognitive Warfare, Social Capital, and National Security”) through monthly supervision meetings with the scientific advisor, Prof. Rico Frederick Isaacs. A three-dimensional, four-level model of societal resilience was elaborated, addressing societal identity, behavioural commitment, and cognitive resilience, with social capital emphasised as a connective factor. By August, work continued on refining the article draft for submission to an international peer-reviewed journal.
Seminars, conferences, and other events. Within RSU Science Week, Ilze Vilka presented “Economic Analysis of Populism: Causes and Consequences” at the international PLACES conference. Abstracts were submitted and accepted for participation in the MetRiSP Workshop (Methods for Political Science Research in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Naples, September 2025) and the ISMS Annual Conference (International Society of Military Sciences, Amsterdam, October 2025). In addition, an application was submitted for participation in European Researchers’ Night 2025 with the activity “Letter to the Future.”
In the first half-year, the project has established its conceptual framework, developed the draft of its first academic publication, and secured participation in international research forums.
