The Colonial Origins of Human Security: Economic, Geographic, and Institutional Determinants

Abstract

Absent in the human security literature is the role institutions play in determining levels of human security in developing nations. We attempt to determine if human security primarily is a phenomenon of economic development, institutional quality, geography, or some combination. Of these factors, we explore ‘deep determinants’: factors that are strongly correlated with increases or sustained levels of human security. We depart from the mainline literature by applying our model to a sample of former colonies. This narrow focus allows us to concentrate on those populations facing the greatest human security risks. While economists have investigated some elements of the general human security puzzle, thus far their research has produced statistically robust yet theoretically thin findings. Our model attempts to correct for these theoretical shortcomings through the inclusion of strictly focused political and social variables. We find that various deep determinants do indeed contribute to human security in surprising ways.

The discourse of security in development policies: A genealogical approach to “Security Sector Reform”

“… As stressed in the UNDP Human development report (1994), in the report of the Commission on Human Security () and in the War and Peace in the 21st Century report of the Human Security Centre (), led by Andrew Mack and Zoe Nielsen. See also St. Marie, Standon, and Naghshpour () and Ewan (). In the UNDP's Human development report (1994, p. 23), human development is defined as “safety from such chronic threats as hunger, disease and repression.…”