Socioeconomics for balanced and effective security solutions
Funded by the EU, the SECONOMICS (Socio-economics meets security) project involved a case study approach to scoping issues in security management. It conducted interdisciplinary studies related to media analysis, the public economics of institutions and the quantitative research of organisations. Its approach was based on three industry driver case studies, namely aviation, critical national infrastructure and regional/urban transport. With a scientific focus on the public economics and social policy implications of security, researchers worked on developing tools for assessing regulatory policies in terms of effectiveness and sustainability. Consideration of security technology, public attitudes and attacking behaviour supported the team in designed experiments that delineate the effectiveness of various policy regimes. Another area of investigation dealt with the mechanism for generating security risks and the dynamics of attackers in particular. Models employing game theory of adversarial risk analysis were developed for better understanding how attackers create security risk by exploiting vulnerabilities. Major effort was dedicated to engaging with the broader industry community to promote SECONOMICS' goals and publicise its findings. In addition, extensive surveys of the three case study topics were conducted. Surveys on security requirements offered key insights into current, emerging and future threats. These relate to a better understanding of airport security and associated technologies, regulatory mechanisms relevant to critical infrastructure, and issues in regional and urban transport. Progress was also made with regard to the use of security metrics in airports and in critical infrastructure, as well as for collecting crime data. Other project activities included a summer school designed to measure public attitudes to risk as reflected through contemporary media. SECONOMICS successfully highlighted future and emerging threats that arose in the three focus topics. Such knowledge can be used to refine models for indicating future directions for security risks and the evolution of threats. The project's results were disseminated worldwide through journals and publications, as well as to both academia and industry. Its envisioned framework will ultimately help guide decisions in key areas to achieve effective policies and efficient security. Emphasising cost versus risk reduction, SECONOMICS' pro-social approach will also help ensure the social contract with society is maintained.
Keywords
Socioeconomics, security, game theory, systems modelling, risk analysis, social policy
