The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Understanding Human Security

Abstract

Since the end of the Cold War, security studies have broadened to take into account a wide range of non-military threats ranging from poverty to environmental concerns rather than just national defence. Security scholars, backed by international organizations and a growing number of national governments, have developed the concept of 'human security', focusing on the welfare of ordinary people against a broad range of threats. This has aroused vigorous debate. The first part of this article proposes an analytical model of human security. The second part argues that it is important to measure how ordinary people perceive risks, moving beyond state-centric notions of human security. New evidence is examined that draws upon survey items specially designed to monitor perceptions of human security, included for the first time in the sixth wave of the World Values Survey (WVS), with fieldwork conducted in 2010-12. The third part demonstrates that people distinguish three dimensions -national, community and personal security -and then explores some structural determinants driving these perceptions. The fourth part discusses why perceptions of human security matter, particularly for explaining cultural values and value change around the world. The conclusion argues that the shift from a narrow focus on military security toward the broader concept of human security is a natural response to the changing challenges facing developed societies, in which the cost-benefit ratio concerning war has become negative and cultural changes have made war less acceptable. In this setting, valid measures of perceptions of human security have become essential, both to understand the determinants of the concept among ordinary people and to analyze their consequences.

Human Security And Religious Change: An Analysis Of 65 Societies Across 1981–2014

“…This version of secularization theory discussed the implications of achieving high levels of national income without genuine modernization, as in the case of oil-exporting countries--since high levels of national income do not necessarily produce high levels of existential security, particularly when linked with high levels of inequality (Inglehart and Norris, 2012). In addition to economic insecurity, violence, disease and natural disasters can threaten people's physical survival, maintaining the need for religious reassurance in a dangerous world.…”

Individual security in academic discourse

“…Tako u domaćoj literaturi, u kontekstu nivoa analize, Filip Ejdus ljudsku bezbednost navodi kao najniži nivo analize, dok termin individualna bezbednost izostavlja, što može da implicira da autor pomenute termine koristi kao sinonime. 13 Za razliku od njega, Saša Mijalković kao najniži nivo analize u studijama bezbednosti navodi čoveka, ističući da se ljudska bezbednost može sagledati sa više nivoa: kao bezbednost pojedinca, društvenih kolektiva i čovečanstva. 14 Mijalković bezbednost pojedinca određuje kao "stanje ličnog (fizičkog, mentalnog i zdravstvenog) integriteta i materijalno-egzistencijalnog (imovinskog, ekonomskog i socijalnog) statusa pojedinca i njegove porodice.…”

Knowledge problems in climate change and security research

“…How the relationship between environment and security is understood is not underpinned by a single methodological approach, which is hardly surprising given the multiple notions of security that exist (see Box ), and the range of contexts in which the term is used . There are a number of different, and sometimes conflicting theoretical perspectives, from quantitative analysis, to alternative social theories on the nature of interactions between the environment and society .…”

“…The range of policy and decision makers with an interest in understanding more about climate change and security is wide, as is the range of definitions of security itself . Although much of the highest profile work has been done in a military context, governments and military are interested in more than simply conflict and are concerned with any events that disrupt core economic activity .…”