The multi-level impact of international support on cybersecurity resilience: evidence from 2009 to 2017

Digital transformation has improved commerce, connectivity and access to government services, but it has also increased cyber-related issues and online offending. In response, governments and international organisations have implemented cybersecurity capacity-building initiatives to improve national cybersecurity capacities and strengthen cyber resilience. These initiatives include formulating cybersecurity laws, establishing national Computer Emergency Response Teams, improving law enforcement capabilities to address cybercrime and increasing cyber awareness among internet users. Despite their widespread implementation, it remains empirically unclear whether such government-led initiatives can shape individual-level behaviours such as digital piracy. Moreover, little is known about whether the dosage (amount) and content (type) of these initiatives influence online piracy rates. To address this gap, this study uses a novel sample of global cybersecurity capacity-building initiatives across 104 countries between 2009 and 2017. The results indicate that both the dosage and content of cybersecurity capacity-building initiatives significantly affect online piracy, and that countries engaging in internet user awareness initiatives have lower digital piracy rates. The findings further show that these initiatives are most successful in countries with greater absorptive capacity. These findings offer guidance for future cybersecurity capacity-building initiatives, particularly in countries with significant budgetary constraints.