THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO ECONOMIC SECURITY

Abstract

The article analyses the transformation of the concept of economic security in the context of the challenges of the modern world – geopolitical crises, pandemics, climate change and economic globalisation. Economic security is understood here not only as a set of macroeconomic indicators, but as a multifaceted phenomenon, encompassing the fiscal autonomy of the state, the resilience of strategic sectors, the ability of households to withstand economic shocks and public trust in institutions. Based on three-level model (macro, meso, micro), different planes of analysis are distinguished, which allow for a holistic assessment of both structural and subjective aspects of security. The comparative analysis applied in the article allows for the identification of five main theoretical paradigms of economic security: liberalism, neorealism, critical, feminist and ecological. Each of them offers a unique value perspective on what security is, what its threats are and what political responses are appropriate. In this way, the article contributes to the theoretical discussion on the conceptualisation of economic security and the possibilities of its practical implementation in the context of Eastern Europe and especially Lithuania. It is emphasised that economic security is not only the result of political decisions or structural power, but also a discursive construction – it is formed in the public narrative, the media, the emotional sphere and the collective imagination. The article justifies that the assessment of economic security must be interdisciplinary, combining economics, communication, sociology, cultural studies and public policy. Such an approach allows us to understand how economic security becomes both a material and symbolic dimension of survival in modern society.