<![CDATA[Disasters can disrupt livelihood systems and test communities’ capacity to sustain and adapt their livelihood strategies. Although corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives are increasingly used to strengthen pre-disaster capacity and resilience, how they transform into mobilizable, community-owned capacity during shocks remains poorly understood. This study aimed to analyze the process through which CSR interventions transform into community-owned adaptive capacity and how such capacity functions when communities experience shocks. The study employed a qualitative approach using a single embedded case study design of the CSR intervention implemented by PT Pertamina EP Rantau Field in Aceh Tamiang, with the 2025 flood serving as the critical event. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), participatory observation, and document analysis, and were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings showed that capacity was not formed through a linear transfer process but through stages of practice, internalization, reproduction, institutionalization, and mobilization during shocks. CSR interventions became community capacity when facilitated knowledge, skills, assets, organizations, and networks were practiced, reproduced, and embedded within community life. During the flood, this capacity was mobilized to restore livelihoods and respond to the needs of vulnerable groups. However, community ownership did not imply complete independence from external actors; rather, it reflected agency within interdependence, where communities organized and mobilized internal resources while simultaneously accessing and integrating external support. This study demonstrated that CSR can function as a shock absorber when its interventions generate lasting capacity that continues to operate and can be mobilized by communities during periods of disruption.]]>
