Presentation of the 2026 Positive Peace Index, by Steve Killelea AM, founder of the Institute for Economics and Peace, with introduction by Prof. Richard Caplan (DPIR), with discussion, and drinks reception. Jointly sponsored by OxPeace, DPIR, OPHI and others. 'Peace is not a byproduct of a functioning society but a foundation of it, one that can be measured and adopted for societal regeneration.' “Positive Peace is a transformational concept for revitalising failing western democracies, placing peace at the centre of national development.
Empirically developed from over 20,000 datasets Positive Peace not only yields highly peaceful societies it also yields many of the other qualities that societies aspire to, including higher per capita income growth, better performance on measures of well-being and happiness, stronger environmental performance, and better development outcomes. Therefore, Positive Peace describes an optimal environment under which human potential can flourish. It places peace at the centre of human development. Many western democracies are struggling from low to falling productivity, social fragmentation, loss of legitimacy in government and less international influence, therefore a new approach is needed, one grounded in fact, that fits within the philosophical traditions of recent centuries and can be easily understood. Positive Peace holds the promise for true transformational change.”
Positive Peace as described by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) is a transformational concept, which places peace at the centre of national wellbeing regardless of a country’s current state of development.
What makes Positive Peace transformational is that it fosters harmonious societal relations while also generating many of the other qualities that societies aspire to, including higher levels of per capita income, better measures of wellbeing and happiness, stronger development outcomes, and improved ecological health. Positive Peace therefore describes an optimal environment for the flourishing of human potential. This body of work yields a key insight: peace is not a byproduct of a functioning society but a foundation of it, one that can be measured and adopted for societal regeneration.
This insight has important implications for many countries struggling with low economic growth and social friction. Based on over a decade of empirical research, IEP’s Positive Peace framework represents one of the most comprehensive bodies of work analysing the factors that create peaceful countries. It is systemic, evolutionary, and applicable in any country, regardless of its state of development. One notable quality of the framework is that it has been adapted for community development, with activities occurring in over 150 countries.
For high-income countries struggling with issues like social cohesion, flat or falling productivity, and loss of credibility in government, it provides a blueprint for revitalising these societies. For middle and low-income countries, it provides a framework for better material performance.
To better understand Positive Peace, IEP has created the Positive Peace Index (PPI). It helps to analyse the factors associated with peace, the dynamics that cause changes in national peacefulness, and the trajectory of countries over time. The power of the Index is derived from how it is built, which is purely empirical and based on statistical assessments of over 20,000 indicators. The Index spans 163 countries and 99.7 per cent of the world's population.
The 2026 PPI Report will be presented, covering in detail the approach taken to build the PPI and its latest findings.
