ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the implication of low incomes on human security in the Pacific. Regionally, widespread hardship and poverty accentuate the vulnerability of households to external shocks, both natural and man-made, with limited economic opportunities constraining the ability of households to respond to these external shocks. Economic development thus forms an important objective in the efforts of governments to improve human security across the region. At the same time, higher incomes are not necessarily synonymous with improved security: incorporation into the cash economy carries its own risks for households. The chapter examines how the concept of human security interacts with economic development in its various forms, drawing on economic and social indicators from different Pacific island economies.
