The business-peace nexus: ‘business for peace’ and the reconfiguration of the public/private divide in global governance

The paper analyzes the 'business-peace nexus,' where multinational corporations (MNCs) are reframed as peace actors. While B4P aims to embed corporations in public accountability structures, the authors argue it creates 'asymmetrical governance' locally, where corporate power is amplified and accountability is obscured.

• The 'Business for Peace' (B4P) initiative, launched by the UN in 2013, seeks to integrate multinational corporations (MNCs) as active partners in peace, stability, and development within fragile and conflict-affected states.
• The authors identify a 'business-peace nexus' characterized by two trends: the UN's increasing outsourcing of core tasks to private firms and a growing demand for MNCs to adopt 'conflict-sensitive' business practices.
• B4P represents a shift in global governance by reframing corporations as political actors, which potentially extends public authority over corporate conduct while simultaneously eroding the UN's traditional restriction of peace and war agency to sovereign states.
• The authors argue that B4P often results in 'asymmetrical governance,' where global supply chains channel benefits upward while pushing the externalities of conflict onto local populations.
• In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the business-peace nexus manifests as 'bubbles of public authority' around corporate enclaves, where private security firms like G4S integrate state police into corporate hierarchies, creating highly securitized spaces that contrast with criminalized public spaces.
• Case studies of B4P signatories in the DRC suggest that corporate commitments to peace are often superficial and limited by profit margins. For example, LG Electronics found it had 'little leverage' to ensure its mineral supply chain was conflict-free despite its B4P association.
• The authors conclude that B4P creates a hybrid form of global governance that makes it increasingly difficult to attribute accountability, as authority is distributed across opaque lines connecting national subsidiaries, corporate headquarters, the UN, and host governments.

APA

Schouten, P., & Mikliana, J. (n.d.). The business-peace nexus: ‘business for peace’ and the reconfiguration of the public/private divide in global governance. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/72de2148-4ded-43f3-8fe2-8017f76e6bc4/private divide in global governance.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Schouten, Peer, and Jason Mikliana. The business-peace nexus: ‘business for peace’ and the reconfiguration of the public/private divide in global governance. Peace Research Institute Oslo, n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/72de2148-4ded-43f3-8fe2-8017f76e6bc4/private divide in global governance.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Schouten |first1=Peer |last2=Mikliana |first2=Jason |title=The business-peace nexus: ‘business for peace’ and the reconfiguration of the public/private divide in global governance |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/72de2148-4ded-43f3-8fe2-8017f76e6bc4/private divide in global governance.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{schoutenndbusinesspeace, author = {Schouten, Peer and Mikliana, Jason}, title = {{The business-peace nexus: ‘business for peace’ and the reconfiguration of the public/private divide in global governance}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/72de2148-4ded-43f3-8fe2-8017f76e6bc4/private divide in global governance.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }