Conceptualising a household resilience index for climate-vulnerable countries: A framework for measurement and policy readiness

This study proposes a methodological framework for assessing household resilience, using Vietnam as a representative case of climate-vulnerable countries. Rather than presenting completed fieldwork, the paper develops a locally adaptable and policy-relevant framework for constructing a Household Resilience Index (HRI) and demonstrates its feasibility using simulated data. Despite growing interest, few tools systematically measure household-level resilience across diverse geographies and shock types. Drawing on established global models—FAO's Resilience Index Measurement and Analysis II (RIMA-II), UNDP's Community-Based Resilience Analysis (CoBRA), and DFID's Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF)—the proposed HRI integrates five dimensions: economic, social, physical, environmental, and institutional. These are operationalised through survey-ready variables validated through expert consultation and contextual adaptation. Methodologically, the study outlines a four-stage process: variable selection, data normalisation, weighting and aggregation using both equal-weight and data-driven approaches, and validation. A simulated dataset representing 800 Vietnamese households is used to illustrate the index-construction and validation procedures. The framework provides a replicable and scalable structure for identifying potential resilience gaps in future field applications, testing variable robustness, and preparing for future field implementation. It contributes to methodological and policy discussions on resilience measurement and offers a transferable model for other climate-vulnerable contexts.