Political Economy of Security

A systematic empirical and theoretical examination of how economic factors influence security affairs

In this book, Stephen Brooks offers a systematic empirical and theoretical account of the ways in which economic factors influence security affairs. Empirically, he explores how economic variables of all kinds affect the full range of security-dependent variables—interstate war, terrorism, and civil war—and analyzes sixteen pathways of economic influence on security matters. His analysis overturns the conventional view that certain economic factors—international trade, economic development, cross-border financial flows, and the globalization of production, to name a few—have clear and specific effects on security affairs. Brooks shows that the relationship between economic factors and conflict is complex and multifaceted; discrete economic factors such as globalized manufacturing are sometimes helpful for advancing peace and stability, but at other times are detrimental.

Brooks then argues that a stronger theoretical foundation is needed to guide future research on the economics-security interaction. Drawing on the work of Adam Smith, he answers three key conceptual questions: how economic goals relate to security goals; what kinds of economic factors should be studied when analyzing world politics; and how, and how much, economic actors influence security policies. Combining an innovative and powerful theoretical understanding with empirical rigor, Brooks’s account will reshape our understanding of the political economy of security.