The rise of neoliberalism in the 1980s sparked a broad debate in academic and political circles about the sustainability of social protection systems in developed countries. Within this context, concerns were raised about risks stemming from shifts in demographic trends, the sexual division of labor, and the tertiarization of the economy. What unified these debates was, on one hand, their focus on macro-structural factors and, on the other, the argument that such changes threatened the viability of generous and comprehensive social protection models. Yet, in the following decades, the welfare state expanded alongside increasing global economic liberalization. This fragile equilibrium came under scrutiny again with the onset of the Great Recession in 2007, particularly in Europe during the 2010 sovereign debt crisis. This time, however, the very existence of the welfare state was called into question, and the diagnosis shifted away from macro-structural factors to focus on the behavior of actors—whether collective or individual—epitomized by the acronym PIGS and the narrative of "living beyond one’s means." This climate of economic depression and social crisis created fertile ground for the emergence and spread of resilience-based approaches in academic and political discourse. Resilience quickly became a mantra for crisis response, promoting a new subject shaped by the internalization of socio-material insecurity, the inevitability of flexibility, and a willingness to engage with risk. Despite criticism dismissing the concept as hollow or deceptive, post-crisis European policy prioritized fostering resilience in families and economic systems. This paper examines the institutionalization of resilience in the European social agenda, where it now occupies a central role in justifying policies and their financial instruments. By analyzing the theoretical-conceptual development of resilience-based approaches to socioeconomic phenomena and the European social agenda since the Great Recession, we aim to elucidate its implicit ideology and its consequences for policy direction and the institutional frameworks structuring Europe’s social protection systems. Finally, we argue that resilience appeals to policymakers precisely because it proposes a social system capable of absorbing crises at both individual and systemic levels, laying the groundwork for minimal social protection compatible with the demands and principles of neoliberalism.

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resilience,social protection,poverty,neoliberalism,welfare state