Human security: Assessing the literature

Human security is a transformative concept which deconstructs traditional national security discourses and practices and reinvents the theory and approach to security efforts. The idea of human security began to gain ground in policy circles and among the academic community following in the footsteps of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)'s Human Development Report 1994. The UNDP lists seven categories of human security which include: economic, food, health, environmental, personal, community, and political. Health and human security are closely linked. Good health is intrinsic to human security since human survival and good health are at the core of 'security'. The journal literature has dramatically increased throughout the years since the human security agenda was advanced by the United Nations. Several publications covering the issue of human security are available online as open access journals.