Publication / Transition Assistance

Entrepreneurs as Peacebuilders in Fragile States

By

Seth D. Kaplan  and Adrian Magendzo

This publication examines the various ways local entrepreneurs can contribute to peace and the conditions that need to be established for them to do so.

Although peacebuilders seek out creative ways to build social cohesion, reform institutions, and change political incentives in fragile contexts, they rarely consider local entrepreneurs as possible entry points for change. This is despite the fact that entrepreneurs can – and do – substantially contribute to all these goals as part of their day-to-day activities.

This IFIT publication provides original analysis, case studies and a set of practical recommendations on how to leverage the potential of entrepreneurs for peacebuilding. It is premised on the idea that only inside-out change can bring sustainable peace to the most difficult contexts, and that entrepreneurs offer a uniquely scalable mechanism to drive such change from within. 

The DOI registration ID for this publication is: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10475148

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