Effects of ‘Digital’ Country’s Information Security on Political Stability

Abstract

In this day and age, information security is becoming a priority not only in the system of international economic relations but also at the state level. This study aims to study the effect of a 'digital' country's information security on its political stability through quantitative analysis. The study is a mixed research design with a focus on the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan. Its methodological basis is represented by the collection and analysis of data on the level and nature of cybersecurity threats (Global Cybersecurity Index, the number of cyber incidents) and on the level of political stability (Political Stability and Absence of Violence/Terrorism indicator of the Worldwide Governance Index). The results of the study show that Russia with a GCI 2020 score of 98.06 and Kazakhstan with a GCI score of 93.15 have relatively low levels of political stability. This is evidenced by their 45.7 and 25.7 percentile ranks on Political Stability and Absence of Violence/Terrorism and a high frequency of offenses using information and communication technologies. Findings suggest that with a high level of commitment to information security, the growth in cyber incidents will not necessarily affect political stability. The obtained findings provide countries an insight into cybersecurity within the national system as well as present a great deal of data on best practices to work through gaps in the national culture of cybersecurity at the state level. The results and methodology of this study can be used by officials to develop information security strategies and tactics, as well as by other researchers for quantitative analysis of the relationship between information security and political stability of different countries and regions.