Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Putting human security at the heart of public policy-making

2140
Governments’ core objective of providing a secure environment for their people is traditionally understood to mean ‘national security’. This column advocates replacing that idea with a broader concept of ‘human security’. Such an approach can provide a consistent framework for handling multiple challenges, including natural disasters and global crises as well as military threats.

In a nutshell

Replacing ‘national security’ with a broader concept of ‘human security’ will enable policy-makers to deal with problems that require government attention within a consistent framework.

Such an approach will strengthen the soundness of the decision-making process by making trade-offs among various components of human security.

This approach can also shed light on the theoretical problem of analysing an economy with multiple public goods.

It is generally accepted that the primary function of any government is to establish a secure environment for its citizens and residents. For historical reasons, security is typically understood to mean ‘national security’ or defence against military threats.

In public economics, national security is thought of as an almost perfect example of a public good. All governments consider supplying the public good of national security as their responsibility. In general, this view is shared by the people and allocating resources to national defence has tended to face relatively few challenges.

But recently the de facto superior position of national defence over other government services has been subject to various criticisms. On the one hand, a considerable share of voters, especially in democratic countries, raise concerns about sustaining national security through rising military expenditures.

On the other hand, people have come to understand that military security is only one dimension of a more general concept of ‘human security’ (IP-DCAF, 2003), and that the costs of ignoring other key dimensions of security may be unacceptable. Government strategies that overemphasise national security may fail to satisfy the needs of society in these other areas.

Human security can be thought of as a composite public good. Its components are the means to prevent or reduce damage from a variety of threats, including natural disasters (such as earthquakes, hurricanes and floods), man-made disasters (such as forest fires, environmental degradation and epidemic diseases) and economic and social threats (such as global economic crises, uncontrolled mass migration, poverty and organised crime).

There have been some illuminating examples in recent times. In 2008, China experienced enormous difficulties in helping people suffering in the aftermath of the earthquake in Wenchuan County, Sichuan. Despite the country’s military might, its capability (military and otherwise) for dealing with such a threat was far below the required level.

Other countries such as Turkey in 1999 and Iran in 2003 have had similar experiences. In contrast, Japan, a country that is well organised for natural disasters, has performed much better in containing the loss of human life as well as material damage.

Similar observations can be made for containing the human suffering due to a hurricane. The relatively poor performance of the US system in dealing with Hurricane Katrina in 2005 compared with Cuba’s success when Hurricane Ike hit the island in 2008 demonstrates that it is not necessarily a matter of a country’s level of development nor the relative strength of its military. Rather, it is the result of attaching more importance to the natural disasters dimension of human security.

A framework for promoting human security

Switching the focus from national security to human security is not an easy task. First, people need to be convinced that non-military threats may be as serious as military threats. For example, the 1999 earthquake in Turkey led to a much higher loss of human life as well as material damage than any external military threat that the country has faced since its independence.

But the importance of taking action against such threats is still not sufficiently understood by the public. As a result, governments do not enjoy the same level of support as they get for national defence. The privileged status of national defence (without a sound base) remains a major obstacle to the optimal allocation of resources for human security.

It is vital to define a concept of human security that is broad enough to address major threats but not so broad that can have no operational meaning. Expanding the concept of human security to cover all public goods will not serve the purpose. One approach may be to pick the most relevant security threats and leave others out. That will enable policy-makers to estimate the relative contributions of each component of human security and value them accordingly.

A public policy exercise could be conducted in the following way:

  • First, a change in the resources allocated to one of the components of human security could be calculated in two stages. The first stage would estimate the effect of the change on the designated component of human security. The second stage would take account of the relative share of the component in the overall effect on human security.
  • Second, this exercise would be repeated for all components and the results compared. The component that contributes most to human security would be chosen for public policy purposes.

Such comparative evaluation of the relative contributions of components of human security would enable policy-makers to base their resource allocation decisions on more solid ground. It would also enable them to consider such diverse issues as military threats and global financial crises within a unified framework.

At the technical level, there are difficulties in measuring the components of human capital and their respective contributions. But these are neither more difficult nor more unrealistic than dealing with problems stemming from military threats. Approaches developed to deal with global problems such as climate change can be fruitfully used to analyse the problem at hand.

Conclusion

Replacing national security with human security will enable policy-makers to deal with problems that require government attention within a consistent framework. Such an approach will strengthen the soundness of the decision-making process by making trade-offs among various components of human security. It may also shed light on the theoretical problem of analysing an economy with multiple public goods.

Further reading

IPU-DCAF (2003) Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector, Inter-Parliamentary Union – Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces.

Most read

Global value chains and sustainable development

What is the role of exchange rate undervaluation in promoting participation in global value chains by firms in developing countries? What is the impact of the stringency of national environmental regulations on firms’ GVC participation? And how do firms’ political connections affect their participation in GVCs? These questions will be explored for the MENA region at a special session of the ERF annual conference, which takes place in Cairo in April 2025.

Adoption of decentralised solar energy: lessons from Palestinian households

The experience of Palestinian households offers a compelling case study of behavioural adaptation to energy poverty via solar water heater adoption. This column highlights the key barriers to solar energy adoption in terms of both the socio-economic status and dwellings of potential users. Policy-makers need to address these barriers to ensure a just and equitable transition, particularly for households in conflict-affected areas across the MENA region.

Migration, human capital and labour markets in MENA

Migration is a longstanding and integral part of the MENA region’s economic and social fabric, with profound implications for labour markets and human capital development. To harness the potential of migration for promoting economic and social development, policy-makers must aim to deliver mutual benefits for origin countries, host countries and migrants. Such a triple-win strategy requires better data, investment in return migration, skill partnerships, reduced remittance costs and sustained support for host countries.

Shifting gears: how the private sector can be an engine of growth in MENA

Businesses are a key source of productivity growth, innovation and jobs. But in the Middle East and North Africa, the private sector is not dynamic and the region has a long history of low growth. This column summarises a new report explaining how a brighter future for MENA’s private sector is within reach if governments rethink their role and firms harness talent effectively.

Building net-zero futures: Asian lessons for MENA’s construction sector

Three big economies in Asia are achieving carbon neutrality in construction. This column draws lessons from Japan, Taiwan and Thailand – and explains why, given the vast solar potential and growing focus on environmental, social and governance matters in the Middle East and North Africa, governments in the region must adopt similarly ambitious policies and partnerships.

Losing the key to joy: how oil rents undermine patience and economic growth

How does reliance on oil revenues shape economic behaviour worldwide? This column reports new research showing that oil rents weaken governance, eroding patience – a key driver of economic growth and, according to the 13th century Persian poet Rumi, ‘the key to joy’. Policy measures to counter the damage include enhancing transparency in oil revenue management, strengthening independent oversight institutions and ensuring that sovereign wealth funds have robust rules of governance.

Artificial intelligence and the future of employment in MENA

Artificial intelligence offers opportunities for boosting productivity and innovation. But it also poses substantial threats to traditional employment structures, particularly in economies like those in the Middle East and North Africa that are reliant on low-skill or routine labour. This column explores how AI is likely to affect employment across the region and proposes policy directions for governments to harness AI for inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

Freedom, agency and material conditions: human development in MENA

Conventional approaches to measuring human development, which are primarily centred on income, health and education, provide an incomplete assessment of people’s opportunities to improve their lives. As this column explains, it is essential to understand how institutional and social environments influence individuals’ agency over their development outcomes. Analysis of the diverse recent experiences of Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia illustrates how such an approach can inform policy-making.

Fiscal limits and debt sustainability in MENA economies

Public debt is piling up across the Middle East and North Africa after years of political upheavals, economic shocks and the Covid-19 pandemic. With fiscal space shrinking, governments are under pressure to act. This column explains why for many countries in the region, the room for manoeuvre on the public finances may be smaller than policy-makers think. Urgent action is needed to restore debt sustainability.

Market integration in the Middle East and the Balkans, 1560-1914

Trade has re-emerged as a central issue in global policy debates, as governments debate not only the costs and benefits of trade, but also the underlying determinants of market integration. To inform the discussion, this column reports new research evidence on the experiences of the former Ottoman territories in the Middle East and the Balkans over nearly four centuries, tracing the evolution, drivers and consequences of trade integration across these regions.