IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/bushor/v68y2025i4p501-513.html

Assessing peace and social impacts through local human security business partnerships

Author

Listed:
  • van Dorp, Mark
  • Martin, Mary
  • Bojicic-Dzelilovic, Vesna

Abstract

As competing guidelines and standards to encourage responsible business behavior and social impact management proliferate (e.g., the Do No Significant Harm principle and ESG standards), companies and investors are struggling to define basic concepts and devise usable methodologies for operating in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Objectives are framed using large, general terms like peace and sustainable development. Even organizations that aspire to positive social and environmental impacts toward peacebuilding find their ambitions thwarted when global frameworks must be translated into the messy and chaotic conditions on the ground. In this article, we outline an approach using forward-looking human security partnerships between business and local stakeholders to identify and assess the potential peace value and risks of business interventions as they materialize over time. Next, we outline lessons from Colombia and the Democratic Republic of Congo and suggest how businesses can use novel governance arrangements to design and measure social impacts that build peace via improvements to human security.

Suggested Citation

  • van Dorp, Mark & Martin, Mary & Bojicic-Dzelilovic, Vesna, 2025. "Assessing peace and social impacts through local human security business partnerships," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 68(4), pages 501-513.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:bushor:v:68:y:2025:i:4:p:501-513
    DOI: 10.1016/j.bushor.2025.03.004
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681325000485
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.bushor.2025.03.004?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gasper, D.R., 2007. "Human Rights, Human Needs, Human Development, Human Security," ISS Working Papers - General Series 18749, International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam (ISS), The Hague.
    2. Michael Blowfield & Catherine S. Dolan, 2014. "Business as a development agent: evidence of possibility and improbability," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(1), pages 22-42, January.
    3. Jenny Pearce & Alexandra Abello Colak, 2021. "Humanizing Security through Action‐oriented Research in Latin America," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 52(6), pages 1370-1395, November.
    4. Sheehan, Norman T. & Vaidyanathan, Ganesh & Fox, Kenneth A. & Klassen, Mark, 2023. "Making the invisible, visible: Overcoming barriers to ESG performance with an ESG mindset," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 265-276.
    5. Jennifer Oetzel & Michelle Westermann-Behaylo & Charles Koerber & Timothy Fort & Jorge Rivera, 2009. "Business and Peace: Sketching the Terrain," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 89(4), pages 351-373.
    6. Leonardo Becchetti & Emanuele Bobbio & Federico Prizia & Lorenzo Semplici, 2022. "Going Deeper into the S of ESG: A Relational Approach to the Definition of Social Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-22, August.
    7. Kathleen Getz & Jennifer Oetzel, 2009. "MNE Strategic Intervention in Violent Conflict: Variations Based on Conflict Characteristics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 89(4), pages 375-386, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. van Dorp, Mark & Martin, Mary & Bojicic-Dzelilovic, Vesna, 2025. "Assessing peace and social impacts through local human security business partnerships," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 127714, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Yongyi Shou & Xueshu Shan & Jinan Shao & Kee-hung Lai & Qing Zhou, 2024. "How Do Foreign SMEs Mitigate Violent Conflict Risk by Doing Good? An Instrumental Stakeholder Theory Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 192(2), pages 407-422, June.
    3. Jay Joseph & John E. Katsos & Mariam Daher, 2021. "Local Business, Local Peace? Intergroup and Economic Dynamics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 173(4), pages 835-854, November.
    4. Katsos, John & Brodtkorb, Tor, 2025. "Conflict zones: New frontiers and ethical imaginations," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 68(4), pages 439-459.
    5. John E. Katsos & Yass AlKafaji, 2019. "Business in War Zones: How Companies Promote Peace in Iraq," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(1), pages 41-56, March.
    6. Kanashiro, Patricia & Starik, Mark, 2016. "Business efforts, opportunities, and limits addressing the poor: A Brazilian case study," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 59(5), pages 471-479.
    7. Janine Allenbacher & Matthias Fertig & Jennifer Adolph, 2026. "What Does the Future Hold for Human Rights in Conflict-Affected Areas? A Delphi Study on MNEs’ Strategies," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 204(3), pages 683-711, March.
    8. Prabhir Poruthiyil, 2013. "Weaning Business Ethics from Strategic Economism: The Development Ethics Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 116(4), pages 735-749, September.
    9. Wang, Xiaoteng & Zhou, Bole & Li, Xiaoling, 2025. "Qualified foreign institutional investors and corporate ESG performance: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    10. Shen, Lin & Zhang, Wen & Ma, Dan, 2025. "ESG practices and financing constraints of Chinese high-carbon enterprises under carbon reduction pressure: The role of credit financing and corporate reputation," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    11. Jane Emma Machin & Josephine Go Jefferies & Elizabeth Crosby & Natalie Ross Adkins & Ann M. Mirabito & Elaine Holt & Aušra Rūtelionė & Daniela Alcoforado, 2025. "From satisfaction to sustainability: A conceptual introduction to sustainable consumer well-being," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 15(3), pages 321-342, December.
    12. Sarah Cechvala & Brian Ganson, 2024. "Systems Perspectives on Business and Peace: The Contingent Nature of Business-Related Action with Respect to Peace Positive Impacts," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 194(3), pages 523-544, October.
    13. Homeyra Khatami & Neda Abdolvand & Saeid Homayoun & Saeedeh Rajaei Harandi, 2025. "Sustainable Development and Corporate Profitability: Data Mining Approach," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 27(5), pages 1973-2000, October.
    14. Viktoriia Myronchuk & Oleksandr Yatsenko & Dmytro Riznyk & Olena Hurina & Andrii Frolov, 2024. "Financing Sustainable Development: Analysis of Modern Approaches and Practices in the Context of Financial and Credit Activities," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 14(5), pages 317-329, September.
    15. Yuka Fujimoto & Jasim Uddin, 2022. "Inclusive Leadership for Reduced Inequality: Economic–Social–Economic Cycle of Inclusion," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 181(3), pages 563-582, December.
    16. Bai, Keke & Jing, Kun & Li, Tianyu, 2024. "Corporate ESG Performance and Stock Pledge Risk," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    17. Wang, Muyun & Zhang, Ying, 2024. "Controlling shareholders' equity pledge, litigation risk and corporate ESG performance," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    18. Yuan Feng & Changfei Nie, 2024. "Digital technology innovation and corporate environmental, social, and governance performance: Evidence from a sample of listed firms in China," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 3836-3854, September.
    19. Williams, Christopher, 2024. "Peacebuilding by MNE subsidiaries: The role of intangible capital and local initiative," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 67(6), pages 711-725.
    20. Palash Kamruzzaman, 2017. "Understanding the Role of National Development Experts in Development Ethnography," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 35(1), pages 39-63, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:bushor:v:68:y:2025:i:4:p:501-513. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/bushor .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.