Critical infrastructures are the backbone of modern, interconnected economies. The disruption of key systems and essential services - such as telecommunications, energy or water supply, transportation or finance - can cause substantial economic damage.

This report looks at how to boost critical infrastructure resilience in a dynamic risk landscape, and discusses policy options and governance models to promote up-front resilience investments. Based on an international survey, the report analyses the progressive shift of critical infrastructure policies from asset protection to system resilience. 

The findings are reflected in a proposed Policy Toolkit for the Governance of Critical Infrastructure Resilience, which can guide governments in taking a more coherent, preventive approach to protecting and sustaining essential services.

Good Governance for Critical Infrastructure Resilience

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Comprehensive Policy Framework

The OECD Policy Toolkit on Governance for Critical Infrastructure Resilience – chapter 5 of the publication - provides a comprehensive policy framework to strengthen critical infrastructure resilience and overcome related governance challenges. The Toolkit emphasizes the importance of adopting a system approach for critical infrastructure resilience, based on partnerships between governments and critical infrastructure operators. It aims at inspiring governments’ policy reforms towards improved continuity of these essential services.

Effective Governance Models 

The OECD case-study of Finland’s electricity transmission and distribution system – Chapter 4 of the publication - illustrates how governments can set-up an effective governance model that fosters investments in infrastructure resilience. With ambitious resilience targets, Finland has been nurturing a cooperative framework to strengthen critical infrastructure resilience that stresses public private cooperation, information sharing and consensus building. Nevertheless, new challenges have emerged including how to address the implications in terms of costs for customers, the difference between larger and smaller operators’ capacities, as well as the implications of digitalisation and climate change.