Mălina-Maria RÎNDAȘU
Babeș Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| Abstract: | Poverty is one of the fundamental problems of the contemporary world. A wide range of actors treats it as a priority, from states and international organisations to businesses, communities, and individuals. The goals focus on increasing levels of social cohesion and economic well-being, as well as achieving visible progress in reducing scarcity at the international level. This thesis aims to analyse the relationship between poverty and personal security empirically. To test the relationship between the two variables, we use semi-structured interviews to highlight individuals’ perceptions of the insecurity generated by various forms of poverty. The qualitative approach allows for a detailed investigation of the types of deprivation present in different geographical areas of Romania, as well as their connection with subjective representations of security. To ensure the authenticity of the paper, a triangulation process was applied using secondary data from surveys and official reports. The topic is crucial for security studies because the issue of scarcity has been high on the broader security agenda. Initially associated with vulnerabilities and risks at the individual level, poverty has gradually become a central concern of state actors. Analysed in terms of its effects (social exclusion, illiteracy, radicalisation), it has become a source of unpredictability at the level of action. The relevance of this study lies in the novelty it brings to the literature by analysing the relationship over the period 2019–2022. The chosen interval is significant due to the proliferation of systemic threats, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic, which generated medical, economic or security effects. The data analysed confirmed an increase in the feeling of insecurity, against the background of exacerbated economic disparities, both in the immediate living environment and in public spaces. The pandemic period also created a generalised fear of the medical effects |
| Keywords: | Poverty; income; human security; perceptions; development |
| Contact details of the authors: | E-mail: malina.rindasu@ubbcluj.ro |
| Institutional affiliation of the authors: | Babeș-Bolyai University, Doctoral School of International Relations and Security Studies |
| Institutions address: | Mihail Kogălniceanu Street, Cluj-Napoca 400347, 0764405300, https://www.ubbcluj.ro/ro/, malina.rindasu@ubbcluj.ro |