Motives behind Cyber Security Strategy Development: A Literature Review of National Cyber Security Strategy

Abstract: Defining the factors that give rise to National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS) has the potential to better understand information security in a global context. Considering the large number of countries that have developed NCSS, the paper seeks to define common motives that enable NCSS development to be understood as public policy phenomenon. In order to achieve this, the paper employs qualitative coding to review the NCSS of 54 countries. Descriptive coding is used to distill common motives, and then pattern coding is employed to develop themes as a way to explain the development and adoption of cyber security strategies by governments. The themes are National Security, Jurisprudence, and Politics. Enabling greater clarity in the motives that lead to cyber security strategies provides policymakers and scholars with additional insights into the development of initiatives that aim to take advantage of the opportunities presented by cyberspace while mitigating its security threats.