--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/measuring-economic-security-in-insecure-times-new-perspectives-new-events-and-the-index-of-economic-well-being/" title: "Measuring Economic Security in Insecure Times: New Perspectives, New Events, and the Index of Economic Well-being" author: name: "spatel" url: "https://csls.ca/author/spatel/" date_published: "2026-07-02T13:32:51+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-09T20:56:38+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "economic security" - "IEWB" - "Index of Economic Well-Being" - "international comparison" - "OECD" - "poverty" - "recession" - "unemployment" country_focus: - "Australia" - "Canada" - "Multi-country" - "OECD" - "UK" - "United States" province_region: - "National" research_theme: - "Economic Well-Being" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # Measuring Economic Security in Insecure Times: New Perspectives, New Events, and the Index of Economic Well-being Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/measuring-economic-security-in-insecure-times-new-perspectives-new-events-and-the-index-of-economic-well-being/ # Measuring Economic Security in Insecure Times: New Perspectives, New Events, and the Index of Economic Well-being [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2009-12-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Osberg, Lars. 2009. “Measuring Economic Security in Insecure Times: New Perspectives, New Events, and the Index of Economic Well-being.” CSLS Research Report 2009-12. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/measuring-economic-security-in-insecure-times-new-perspectives-new-events-and-the-index-of-economic-well-being/ ## Author: - Lars Osberg Department of Economics, Dalhousie University ## Report 2009-12 December 2009 47 pages ## Related research [Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Andrew Sharpe, Christopher Ross November 2011 | Report 2011-17 | 124 pages](https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing-2011-17/) [Measuring the Appropriate Outcomes for Better Decision-Making: A Framework to Guide the Analysis of Health Policy Matthew Calver March 2016 | Report 2016-03 | 132 pages](https://csls.ca/research/measuring-the-appropriate-outcomes-for-better-decision-making-a-framework-to-guide-the-analysis-of-health-policy-2016-03/) [Productivity: Key to Economic Success Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) March 1998 | Report 1998-01 | 99 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-key-to-economic-success/) [A Survey of Indicators of Economic and Social Well-being Andrew Sharpe July 1999 | Report 1999-cprn | 72 pages](https://csls.ca/research/a-survey-of-indicators-of-economic-and-social-well-being/) [A Comparison of Canadian and U.S. Labour Market Performance, 1989-2000 Andrew Sharpe April 2001 | Report 2001-01 | 29 pages](https://csls.ca/research/a-comparison-of-canadian-and-u-s-labour-market-performance-1989-2000/) [Raising Canadian Living Standards: A Framework for Discussion Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) October 2002 | Report 2002-td | 56 pages](https://csls.ca/research/raising-canadian-living-standards-a-framework-for-discussion/) [An Analysis of Productivity Trends in the Forest Products Sector in Canada Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2003 | Report 2003-01b | 64 pages](https://csls.ca/research/an-analysis-of-productivity-trends-in-the-forest-products-sector-in-canada/) [Human Well-being and Economic Well-being: What Values Are Implicit in Current Indices? 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The first is to outline the development of the methodology for the measurement of economic security in the Index of Economic Wellbeing (IEWB) and to provide updated estimates of the Index of Economic Security over the 1980-2007 period for seven developed countries: Canada, Australia, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. The four components of the economic security domain of the IEWB – security from unemployment, illness, singleparent poverty, and old-age poverty – are discussed. The second objective is to consider the adequacy of our framework for the discussion and measurement of economic security during times as tumultuous as the present. Since 2008, the global economy has fallen into recession and anxiety about the economic future has dramatically increased. In this context, how should one measure trends in economic security? Projections of the Index to 2010, computed on the basis of OECD unemployment forecasts, indicate that the global recession will lead to a substantial decrease in economic security as the recession continues. Ce rapport poursuit deux objectifs principaux. Le premier est de présenter l’élaboration de la méthodologie de mesure de la sécurité économique dans l’Indice de bien-être économique (IBEE) et de fournir des estimations actualisées de l’Indice de sécurité économique pour la période 1980-2007 pour sept pays développés : le Canada, l’Australie, l’Allemagne, la Norvège, la Suède, le Royaume-Uni et les États-Unis. Les quatre composantes du domaine de la sécurité économique de l’IBEE — la sécurité face au chômage, à la maladie, à la pauvreté des familles monoparentales et à la pauvreté chez les personnes âgées — sont examinées. Le second objectif est d’évaluer la pertinence de notre cadre pour la discussion et la mesure de la sécurité économique en des temps aussi tumultueux que les temps actuels. Depuis 2008, l’économie mondiale est entrée en récession et l’inquiétude à l’égard de l’avenir économique a considérablement augmenté. Dans ce contexte, comment devrait-on mesurer les tendances de la sécurité économique? Des projections de l’indice jusqu’en 2010, calculées à partir des prévisions de chômage de l’OCDE, indiquent que la récession mondiale entraînera une diminution importante de la sécurité économique à mesure que la récession se poursuit. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2009-12-1.pdf)