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Business and Violence

Laszlo Zsolnai’s paper on “Business and Violence” was published in M. Chatterji and P. Gangopadhyay (Eds.): New Frontiers in Conflict Management and Peace Economics: With a Focus on Human Security. (2021. Emerald, pp. 133–140.)

The paper recalls the famous book “The Economy of Love and Fear” by economist Kenneth Boulding, which suggests that business is a peaceful alternative to war.

Zsolnai argues that this might be true in principle, but today’s business, especially mainstream global business, seems to be at war with society and nature. Striving for profit and competitiveness, mainstream businesses produce financial results at the expense of nature, society, and future generations. With their exclusive focus on profit-making, mainstream businesses violate the integrity and diversity of natural ecosystems, the autonomy and culture of local communities, and the chance that future generations will have a decent life.