Resiliency in the Jackson Water Crisis: Investigating the roles of social vulnerability and U.S. Federal Subsidiarity Assistance

Abstract The City of Jackson, Mississippi, has faced numerous problems related to its water supply in the last three decades. The most recent water crisis stemmed from the flooding of two water treatment plants, resulting in contamination and the shutting down of the water supply. The study examines antecedents to the Jackson Water Crisis and how it was addressed. The article investigates the following questions: (1) What is the effect of jurisdictional vulnerability on the resiliency of the Jackson Water Crisis, and (2) What role does the subsidiarity principle play in the resiliency of the Jackson Water Crisis? The study draws from social vulnerability theory to investigate Jackson's changing racial demographics starting in 1970 to understand the crisis. It then draws from the subsidiarity principle that underpins federal assistance to subnational governments to explain how multilevel governments cooperate to address social inequity and create a more resilient community.