ABSTRACT. The sustainability of cross-border peacebuilding initiatives is increasingly pertinent in a context of reduced public funding (national and European), yet the potential contribution to be made to this from private sector cooperation remains under-explored. This paper brings together quantitative data on cross-border trade with qualitative evidence from business leaders in the Irish border region in order to examine the nature of cross-border cooperation within the private sector and its possible connections to peacebuilding. We analyse this evidence in the light of three theses: spillover, contact and business-based peacebuilding. The first part of this paper assesses the conditions for cross-border business cooperation in Ireland, including funding support for economic development, European integration, and (post-Agreement) institutional change. The second part examines the particular contributions made by the private sector to peace, centring upon consciously nonpolitical motivations (such as pragmatism and profit), networking and leadership. Unlikely peacebuildersUp to now you haven't heard of me at all in the, if you like, activity of peace making or joining North and South because I am a business person and we were simply there to make stuff in the North and sell it into the South and make a few bob out of it. 1If the private sector is ever considered in relation to peacebuilding it is usually in one of two roles: providing the means to facilitate material development 'up and out' of conflict or (in a less direct way) as a locus of actors with significant influence in their local communities. Lederach's (1997) conception of business people as fitting into the 'middle range leadership' bracket is a typical one: they are there as pillars of the community, and if they engage and 9 / Hayward-Magennis: business ver 9 (12)-editors -9.2-invest in local 'normalising' processes it is hoped that others will follow. In order to test the extent to which this private sector 'peacebuilding' contribution has wider (political) significance, this paper traces the development of commercially-driven business cooperation in light of the patterns of North-South trade and public sector or international investment in cross-border business. To do so, it draws on quantitative data on trade flows and investment patterns as well as qualitative data in the form of the verbal accounts of key business leaders associated with cross-border cooperation prior to and during the peace process, including contributions from 13 key business leaders, plus additional comments from another five politicians and civil servants from both sides of the border who have been particularly supportive of cross-border economic initiatives.3 The fact that we are looking at the Irish border rather than the Irish Sea as the critical state boundary in this study means that our focus rests less on British and Irish state policy and institutions than on more directly cross-border influences, including EU initiatives and North-South institutions.For theor...

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Cross-border cooperation on the island of Ireland has a long history, if often a limited scope. The emergence of statutory North/South bodies after the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement of 1998 added a new dynamic. This paper argues that the further development of the Dublin–Belfast Economic Corridor will require key stakeholders to engage widely, not only with a private sector whose rationale will be greater levels of commercial activity along the Corridor but also with others who will bring additional agendas into discussion, including sustainability and quality of life. Political engagement will also be critical to ensure that the top-down support, in terms of investment and alignment with other policy priorities, is present. The framework for this collaboration is already in place, something that was absent in the 1990s. Actors and policy entrepreneurs who can bring together the different types of engagement on a cross-border basis are required.

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