Peace economics is an expanding field of economic science that studies the causes and determinants of armed warfare and other forms of violence, the economic repercussions of latent conflicts and outright combat, and the economic policy measures aiming to remove the sources of violent conflict. Peace economics has both a micro and a macro dimension. There exist, in fact, a macro-level of conflict, involving states and their foreign and economic policies, and a micro-level within society relating to the relationships between the state, social groups, intermediate associations, and individual citizens. This field of study – the founders of which include illustrious thinkers such as John Maynard Keynes, Kenneth Arrow and Lawrence Klein – makes sense of the emergence of institutions attempting to solve destructive conflict scenarios and examines their development in a fundamentally long-term perspective. Caruso’s book provides an opportunity to experience an interdisciplinary discussion, written in terms accessible to economists, political scientists and international relations experts.

Raul Caruso teaches Economic Policy and International Economics at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan. He is chief editor of the journal “Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy” and, since 2009, executive director of the Network of European Peace Scientists.