Linkages between private sector development, conflict and peace

Abstract

The private sector can both exacerbate drivers of conflict and contribute to peacebuilding in post-conflict states. There is a relatively small body of literature on the role of the private sector in building peace. Most of the evidence takes the form or NGO and international organisation reports and evaluations. Examples of successful interventions are often dated and evaluations lack rigour. Analysis of success factors is also lacking. It is therefore difficult to establish causality between many of the initiatives discussed in this report and improvements in peace and stability. There is very little literature looking at private sector involvement in peacebuilding in post-conflict Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The literature reviewed for this study is largely gender blind.