Addressing peace in undergraduate economics textbooks

Kenneth Boulding argued economics has a role to play in establishing peace in society through policy and through the image individuals have for the role of their nation state. Economics textbooks are replete with examples of individuals cooperating peacefully in a market setting. However, these same textbooks often take the underlying conditions of peace for granted as well as the process for finding peaceful solutions. Concepts of trade, competition, and overcoming externalities are presented with solutions where the issue of violence never enters the conversation. Individuals are able to solve problems without violence or threats of violence. By neglecting the underlying conditions of peace and the process for establishing peace, students are presented with an incomplete view of how key economic principles work. It also stunts the growth of individuals’ knowledge of future possibilities of finding peaceful solutions to problems. This paper presents evidence of a lack of discussion in microeconomic, macroeconomic, international, and development textbooks around the ideas of peace and the role of economics in peace and discusses ways of remedying this situation.