Difference between revisions of "Economic effects of anti-terrorism security measures"

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===Indirect (secondary) costs of security===
 
===Indirect (secondary) costs of security===
Indirect costs of counter-terrorism measures are distributed throughout society as a result of changed economic behaviour of agents (behavioural adjustment) and the impact on [[Function|functionality of urban objects]] (e.g. travel delays as a result of security on airports and roads, changes in property values). An important aspect of behavioural adjustment is that protection policies may also enhance fear and anxiety, which can have negative health consequences and hence also negative consequences for a local economy<ref>Mueller, J. (2008). ''The Quixotic quest for invulnerability: Assessing the costs, benefits, and probabilities of protecting the Homeland''.</ref>.
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Indirect costs of counter-terrorism measures are distributed throughout society as a result of changed economic behaviour of agents (behavioural adjustment) and the impact on [[Function|functionality of urban objects]] (e.g. travel delays as a result of security on airports and roads, changes in property values). An important aspect of behavioural adjustment is that protection policies may also enhance fear and anxiety, which can have negative health consequences, and, hence, also create negative consequences <ref>Mueller, J. (2008). ''The Quixotic quest for invulnerability: Assessing the costs, benefits, and probabilities of protecting the Homeland''.</ref>.
   
 
==Benefits of security==
 
==Benefits of security==

Revision as of 13:39, 18 December 2012

Economic effects of anti-terrorism security measures

Security measures aiming to manage the risk of urban terrorism impose economic effects on society, the so-called economic effects of anti-terrorism measures. In essence, they can be classified as the costs of terrorism since they result from the actions of households, private agents and public agents in an attempt to prevent a terror event to occur, or at least to mitigate the effects of such an event.

Description

Estimation of the economic impact of counter-terrorism measures includes accounting for direct (primary) and indirect (secondary) effects, including both the costs and the benefits. Security measures, for example, make urban objects more resilient against terror attacks, but will also alter behaviour of economic agents (see the clickable map below). Moreover, security measure aiming to mitigate the indirect economic impact will create positive spillover effects for the local economy, since the impact of an future terror event will be less unpredictable. Finally, also the actual impact on terrorist behaviour should be taken into account in order to measure the effectiveness of the chosen security measures.

Terror eventPrimary economic impact of terrorismSecondary economic impactTotal economic impactEconomic effects of security measuresEconomic effects of security measuresEconomic impact counter terrorism.jpg.png
About this image

There is not much literature available on the economic impact of counter-terrorism measures and little definite conclusions can be drawn. Still, it is possible to illustrate that the economic impact of security measures vary greatly, depending on the type of measures and the way they are implemented (and in which context).

Costs of security

The costs of security measure depend on the actual type of counter-terrorist measures. Enders and Sandler (2006)[1] differentiate between defensive and pro-active security measures. Defensive security measurs protect urban objects from attacks or mitigate the impact. Pro-active measures are meant to prevent terrorism itself, e.g. by undermining the financial resources of terrorist groups.

Direct (primary) costs of security

Defensive security measures entail financial investments in security technologies, surveillance, etc. Pro-active security measures entail the resources needed to finance intelligence operations, military strikes, development aid, etc.

Indirect (secondary) costs of security

Indirect costs of counter-terrorism measures are distributed throughout society as a result of changed economic behaviour of agents (behavioural adjustment) and the impact on functionality of urban objects (e.g. travel delays as a result of security on airports and roads, changes in property values). An important aspect of behavioural adjustment is that protection policies may also enhance fear and anxiety, which can have negative health consequences, and, hence, also create negative consequences [2].

Benefits of security

Direct (primary) benefits of security

The inflicted economic damage of a terror event is the start of an estimation of the benefits of security measures since they constitute the direct benefits of the mitigation measures[3]. Examples of direct impacts of terror events are: loss of life and injuries, property damage, business interruption, and damage to iconic objects[4]

Indirect (secondary) benefits of security

Related subjects

Footnotes and references

  1. See: Brück, T., M. Karaisl, and F. Schneider (2008). A survey of the Economics of Security. Economics of Security Working Paper 1. Economics-of-Security.eu.
  2. Mueller, J. (2008). The Quixotic quest for invulnerability: Assessing the costs, benefits, and probabilities of protecting the Homeland.
  3. See: Rose, A. and S. Chatterjee (2011). Benefits and Costs of Counter-Terrorism Security Measures in urban Areas, p.7.
  4. Ibid.

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