Completed project

SECONOMICS - Socio-Economics meets Security

Project duration: 
2012 - 2015

Issued by: Evropská komise, FP7-SEC-2011-285223

Time of researching the project: 2012 – 2015, 36 months (1. 2. 2012 31.1.2015)

Coordinator of the project: Professor Dr. Fabio Massacci, University Trento, Italy

Project coordinator for the Czech part: PhDr. Zdenka Mansfeldová, CSc.

Members of the Czech research team: PhDr. Zdenka Mansfeldová, CSc., PhDr. Petra Guasti, Ph.D., Mgr. Tomáš Lacina, Mgr. Daniela Gavrecká, Bc. Pavla Vamberová

Summary

The goal of SOCONOMICS is to synthesize sociological, economic and security science into a usable, concrete, actionable knowledge for policy makers and social planners responsible for citizen's security. The project is driven by industry case studies and will specifically identify security threats in transport (air, urban and super urban metro) and critical infrastructure. The research focus places social science and political science at the heart of the modelling framework. In particular the project seeks to explore the challenges of pan European coordination in security outcomes for transport and critical infrastructure. The contribution of the project will be in developing and furthering the state of the art in modelling security problems in a technological and socio economic context and then applying state of the art risk assessments and analysis of the social context to develop optimal policies.

More information see: http://www.seconomicsproject.eu/

Benefits of the project

The outputs are twofold: first assessment of the future and emerging threats in the identified areas with rigorous modelling of the optimal mechanisms for mitigation within the policy domain. Second, and more crucially, a generalized policy "toolkit" that will assist decision makers in identifying and reacting coherently (within the appropriate social context) to future and emerging threats that may arrive long after the project has been completed. The lasting impact of SECONOMICS will be a methodological revolution driven by a common, but diverse set, of modelling tools and utilizing recent advances in modelling technology that seamlessly transverses the social, economic and technological domains.

Work Package 4 - Security and Society

The department of Political sociology of ISAS CR is responsible for the Work Package No. 4. Security and Society. The WP4 has a significant synergic effect for the project. It formulates innovative tools for the assessment of human behaviour interference, coping with crises situations and for global advances of safety culture at all levels (individuals, groups and the society local, regional, national and supranational). In short it studies citizen’s reaction to the various risks and their acceptance of proposed security measures – linking risk and security in assessing their mutual trade-offs for citizens.

Methodology

This task will be achieved by employing a range of research methods and an empirical study of various target groups. Combining quantitative and qualitative methods, the WP4 will identify and use existing secondary international data sources (Eurobarometer, World Value Survey, European Value Survey), in combination with results of national quantitative surveys, analysis of documents and secondary analysis of existing studies. Supplementary methods such as focus groups and semi-structured interviews with actors (policy-makers, stake-holders and consumers) will be employed, as well as case study analysis. Analysis of communication channels and communication patterns between policy makers, stakeholders and citizens in the area of security risk and identification of effective channels and patterns of communication and risk prevention for identified target groups will be involved. Further will be employed comparative analysis of discourses and justification of security and risk in domestic and international media and analysis of the role and impact of the media on the perception and attitudes to risk. Next task will be the analysis of the public engagement and the role of civil initiatives in communication between the policy makers and citizens in process of risk management.

SECONOMICS Newsletter

The first issue of SECONOMICS Newsletter, whose aim it is to introduce you to this broad cross disciplinary 7FP project. The SECONOMICS project aims to provide a socio-economic rationale to security policy making. This newsletter is dedicated to one of the project’s key activities in 2013 - the Prague Graduate School in Comparative Qualitative Analysis. 

The first issue of SECONOMICS Newsletter: Issue 1 - Sep 2013

Prague SECONOMICS Discussion Papers

2012/1: Risk Perception Research: Literature and Data Review by Kateřina Vráblíková (ISBN 978-80-7330-225-2, Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, November 2012)

2013/1: Better Naked than Dead. Communicating Security.  Analysis of Italian Perception of Security Related Issues by Martina de Gramatica (ISBN 978-80-7330-238-2, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, October 2013

2013/2: Surveillance Cameras Everywhere You Look? The portrayal of the Security vs. Privacy Dilemma in the Slovak Press, 2010 - 2013 by Nikola Belakova (ISBN 978-80-7330-237-5, Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, October 2013)  

2013/3: Poland – a Surveillance Eldorado? Security, Privacy, and New Technologies in Polish Leading Newspapers (2010-2013) by Aleksandra Sojka (ISBN 978-80-7330-238-2, Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, October 2013) 

2013/4: Mexico - “I’ll Be Watching You” Communicating Security and Privacy Issues in the Mexican Press by Pavla Vamberová (ISBN  978-80-7330-239-9, Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, November 2013) 

2013/5: Who Watches the Watchmen? Risk Perception and Security vs. the Privacy Dilemma in the Czech Press by Daniela Gawrecká (ISBN  978-80-7330-241-2, Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, November 2013) 

2013/6: Risks and Security in Spanish Newspapers: The Cases of 3D Body Scanners, CCTV and Stuxnet by Manuel Pereira-Puga  (ISBN  978-80-7330-242-9, Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, November 2013) 

2013/7: Drawing the line between security and privacy. An analysis of security discourses in the US press, 2010-2013 by Nikola Belakova (ISBN  978-80-7330-243-6, Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, December 2013) 

2014/1: Report on Expert Blogs Analysis. Contribution to the SECONOMICS project and Prague Graduate School in Comparative Qualitative Analysis 2013 by Tomáš Lacina ( ISBN 978-80-7330-249-8, Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, january 2014) 

2014/2: Comparative Analysis. Contribution to the SECONOMICS project and Prague Graduate School in Comparative Qualitative Analysis 2013 by D. Gawrecká, J. Hronešová, P. Vamberová, P. Guasti, Z. Mansfeldová (ISBN 978-80-7330-250-4, Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, january 2014) 

2014/3: The Xanadu of surveillance: Report on security perceptions in the British online media by Jessie Hronesova (ISASCR), Tristan Caulfield (ABDN), Petra Guasti (ISASCR) (ISBN 978-80-7330-251-1, Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, May 2014) 

2015/1: Media Analysis, Security Measures and Salience of CCTV Cameras in Urban Public Transport: Policy Paper, P. Guasti, Z. Mansfeldová, D. Gawrecká (Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, January 2015)

Research Reports

Country Report Germany by Ann-Katrin Nitschke

The Xanadu of surveillance: Report on security perceptions in the British online media by Jessie Hronesova (ISASCR), Tristan Caulfield (ABDN), Petra Guasti (ISASCR)

Report on Expert Blogs Analysis by Tomáš Lacina (ISASCR)

Comparative Analysis by D. Gawrecká, J. Hronešová, P. Vamberová, P. Guasti, Z. Mansfeldová (ISASCR)
 

Editorial Board: Zdenka Mansfeldová, Petra Guasti, Jessie Hronešová

Copy-editing: Jessie Hronešová

Published by: Institute of Sociology AS CR, Jilská 1, 110 00 Prague 1

Contact: Press and Publications Department, Institute of Sociology  AS CR, Jilská 1, 110 00 Prague 1, tel.: 210 310 217, e-mail: prodej@soc.cas.cz

Publications have been completed with funding from project SECONOMICS: Socio economics meets security, an Integrated Project supported by the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research, theme SEC-2011.6.4-1 SEC-2011.7.5-2 ICT.

 

Principal investigator: 
Topics: 
economics
politics (and political attitudes)
Grant agency: 
International project
Department: 

Project publications (total 6, displaying 1 - 6)

Gawrecká, Daniela, Hronešová, Jessie, Vamberová, Pavla, Guasti, Petra, Mansfeldová, Zdenka

In this discussion paper series, the Prague SECONIMICS team intends to
allow the broader academic community to take part in an on-going
discussion about the risks and threats, as well as trade-offs, between
themselves and security. This research focus stems from the fact that
until now, social scientists have primarily studied threats and risks
through the perspective of social psychology, conducting so-called “risk

Topic:
crime, media, politics (and political attitudes)
Department:
Political Sociology
Type of publication:
Working paper
Guasti, Petra - Mansfeldová, Zdenka - Hronešová, Jessie - Gawrecká, Daniela - Vamberová, Pavla - Lacina, Tomáš (IS AS CR), Turhan, Ugur (AU - Turkey), Tedeschi, Alessandra (DBL - Italy) - De Gramatica, Martina (Italy) – Shim, Woohyun (UNITN - Italy) - Williams, Julian (UDUR - Great Britain)

This deliverable combines qualitative and quantitative survey methods to provide an analysis of communication channels and patterns between policy makers, stakeholders (i.e. companies), and citizens in the areas of security and risk in regards to three specific areas – air transport, public transport, and critical national infrastructure in ten countries. Analysis focuses on the trade-offs among security, privacy, health and personal dignity.

Topic:
media, public opinion
Department:
Political Sociology
Type of publication:
Working paper
Mansfeldová, Zdenka - Guasti, Petra - Gawrecká, Daniela - Vamberová, Pavla - Lacina, Tomáš - Hronešová, Jessie (IS AS CR) - Tedeschi, Alessandra (DBL - Italy)

This deliverable presents a comparative analysis of discourses and justifications of security and risk in newspapers in ten countries both within EU (Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Spain, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland) and outside of the EU (Mexico, the USA) as well as in four security expert blogs. Deliverable analyses channels and patterns of communication and risk prevention for specific target groups.

Topic:
crime, media, public opinion
Department:
Political Sociology
Type of publication:
Working paper
Petra Guasti, Zdenka Mansfeldová

New technologies represent opportunities (to ensure safety) and threats (to privacy and freedom), and also emphasize key tensions - between security and freedom/privacy and between security and its various costs (economic, health, public support, etc.). The dilemma of our times, for civil society, governments, the media, and individual citizens, is the level of safety we desire and at what price.

Topic:
media
Department:
Political Sociology
Type of publication:
Article with impact factor
Guasti, P., Z. Mansfeldová
Topic:
media
Department:
Political Sociology
Type of publication:
Article with impact factor
Mansfeldová, Z., P. Guasti, K. Vráblíková, J. Hronešová, T. Lacina, D. Gawrecká, E. Chiarani, E., M. De Gramatica, M. Angeli, A. Tedeschi, D. Rios Insua, J. Williams, M. Pellot, R. Ruprai
Topic:
politics (and political attitudes)
Department:
Political Sociology
Type of publication:
Other publication

Attached information