ABSTRACT

Poverty and the Critical Security Agenda argues that poverty should be a central concern of security studies and critiques existing methodological approaches to poverty and 'well-being'. Using the Philippines as a case study, this book is critical of approaches to poverty that portray the poor as passive objects as opposed to dynamic actors. With this in mind, the relationship between poverty and democracy, as a means to facilitating human security, is central. Poverty acts as a major behavioural force in international relations, not least for the state, and therefore merits increased visibility within the research agenda. This text is highly relevant for courses on international relations methodology and critical theory, development studies, security studies and international political economy.