Entrepreneurship and peacebuilding: a review and synthesis

Jay Joseph, John E. Katsos, Harry J. Van Buren III

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

33 Citations (Scopus)
167 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is the dominant form of enterprise in conflict-affected settings, yet little is known about the role of entrepreneurship in peacebuilding. In response, this article undertakes a review of entrepreneurship in conflict-affected regions to integrate research from business and management with research from political science, international relations, and parallel domains. Three views of entrepreneurship emerge—the destructive view, economic view, and social cohesion view—showing how entrepreneurship can concurrently create conflict but also potentially generate peace. The article identifies new avenues for pro-peace entrepreneurship: namely, through personal transformation, social contributions, inclusive interactions, conflict trigger removal, intergroup policy persuasion, and acting as legal champions. This article also discusses several pathways forward for business-for-peace research alongside additional implications for the deployment of business-based support programs in conflict settings.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)322-362
JournalBusiness & Society
Volume62
Issue number2
Early online date11 Apr 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2023
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • business for peace
  • conflict
  • entrepreneurship
  • peace
  • small business

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