| WISIND – The Security Indicator for Germany |
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In cooperation with the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) BIGS will develop a system of indicators to measure the level of security and the security industry in Germany. This project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research for 3 years. The Security Indicator for Germany will be constructed by using two composite indicators Security Threats and Security Provision. Motivation The issues of security and security research have become more important on the political agenda. Even in the media, the presence of the topics is clearly noticeable. The terror warnings of the Federal Ministry of the Interior in Germany also intensify the discussion on the current security situation. The increased importance of security is reflected in the European security market which is expanding strongly. Yet the main questions are: How is the security level in Germany and how has it developed in relation to previous years? Can security be measured at all? To date, there is no index that quantifies the security of Germany or other countries. Objectives and Methodology The project WISIND aims to face this challenge. The joint research project will create a system of indicators that measures the security level in Germany as well as their effects on the economy. Moreover, the security industry will be analyzed. The WISIND Security Indicator will be constructed using two composite indicators to track security threats and the provision of security in Germany. The Security Threat Indicator will capture data on risks emanating from human-induced drives of insecurity, such as terrorism and organized crime. Natural disasters or other natural threats will be excluded. The Security Provision Indicator will be measured by the three sub-indicators private sector, security industry and government. These three indicators will show the level of security provision generated by the private sector and the security industry in form of goods and services, as well as by the government in form of policies, regulations, institutions etc. The five sub-indicators consist of a multitude of variables based on officially available information and additional data to be collected. Innovations and Perspectives The indicator system will be a transparent, robust and internationally comparable information tool for decision makers in politics, administration and business. For the first time the project WISIND will create a scientifically based approach to generate a Security Indicator for further security related reasearch. Therefore, the Security Indicator is a prototype, which will be first developed for Germany and can later be expanded internationally.
Project title A System of Economic Indicators to Measure Security and Security Provision in Germany (WISIND) Duration 01/2012 – 12/2014 Project partner
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