Citation

St. Marie JJ, Stanton SS, Naghshpour S. Polit. Policy 2008; 36(1): 80-106.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Policy Studies Organization (USA), Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1747-1346.2007.00095.x

PMID

unavailable

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.