With the growing role of the private sector in global politics comes increasing challenges and opportunities, an example of which is conducting business in pre- and post-conflict environments.
While the extant business literature discusses the work these actors can do to reduce tensions in conflict zones, the role of these actors is notably absent in studies of conflict resolution.
In my article, I offer an overview of the findings on conflict resolution processes by scholars in the field of political science.
I then draw from business scholarship and offer an overview of the positive contributions the private sector can and does make toward peace.
I conclude by highlighting the problems of having disjointed approaches and offering a conceptual framework for how these distinct approaches can be combined to generate a more comprehensive understanding of conflict resolution.
This article is free for the duration of this Challenge (until end Nov 2016)
Editor’s Note:
This article is published as part of the Business and Peace Challenge, led by Indiana University and Business Fights Poverty. To find out more about the Business and Peace Challenge, and to join, click here.
