BUSINESS AND PEACE IN THE BUFFER CONDITION

Over the past 15 years, researchers and practitioners have explored the connections between business practices and peace. In this paper, we explore how research from other disciplines can inform our understanding of business practices and peace. One result would be guidance that is less general and more applicable to areas experiencing conflict than those currently supported by the business and peace literature. Based on literature reviews in political science, economics, and peace and conflict studies, we find support for an alternative conceptualization to the conflict/post-conflict classification that we term the "buffer" condition. We suggest that existing research supports the proposition that the private sector is the most effective actor in promoting peace in areas experiencing the buffer condition. And we encourage researchers to investigate the most effective ways for business to promote peace under such a condition.