The economic local turn in peace and conflict studies: economic peacebuilding interventions and the everyday

Abstract

This article calls for a better integration of economic and socio-economic aspects of peacemaking efforts into critical peace and conflict scholarship and can be read as a corrective to the predominance of top-down and state-centric lenses in the examination of post-war economic recovery. As of yet, academic debates surrounding peace interventions have not adequately integrated the economic with the political, in particular at the level of the everyday. Most theories in International Relations that engage with the connection between economics and politics during and after conflictas well as the original notions of liberal peaceare based on the idea that international trade and market liberalisation reduce the chances of war between states. This neglects the substate level, and does not pay attention to the quality of peace that results. Considering the shift to intra-state conflicts, this article discusses the epistemological consequences of neglecting the economic everyday in conflictaffected societies and its implications for peacemaking, for both international and domestic actors. Shifting the level of analysis to the sub-state level and using an intersectional and inter-disciplinary approach broadens our understanding of peace and peacemaking, and how different segments of the populations experience them.

Globalization, Human Rights And Colombian Armed Conflict

“…There has been a lack of adequate integration between economic and political aspects in academic debates on peace interventions, especially at the day-to-day level. Vogel (2022) highlights that most theories in international relations that address the connection between economics and politics during and after conflicts, as well as original conceptions of liberal peace, are based on the premise that international trade and market liberalization reduce the chances of war between states. However, this perspective neglects the sub-state level and does not pay sufficient attention to the quality of the resulting peace.…”

“…In this regard, Vogel (2022) points out the importance of considering the interaction between the economic and the political in the context of peace interventions, especially in the everyday sphere. The author argues that it is essential to understand how economic and commercial aspects influence political dynamics at the local level and how this can affect the quality of peace achieved.…”