Dominic Rohner is a Professor at the University of Lausanne and holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Cambridge. His research on the economics of conflict has won various prizes and been covered by major news outlets worldwide. He leads an international expert group on policies for peace.

• Acknowledgements; Part I. Apocalypse No! Why We Should Care: 1. Smart Idealism and the Peace Formula: Introduction; 2. Loss of Lives, Livelihoods and Love: Wars Are Not Good Business; 3. Vicious Cycles of Conflict – Why Wars Today Threaten Our Future; Part II. The Logic of Evil: Why Wars Occur: 4. Poverty, Populations and Petrol: Why Do People Fight?; 5. The Killer in the Boardroom: How Fighting in Funded; Part III. Give Peace a Chance! Getting Incentives Right: 6. Power to the People: Inclusive Democracy and Power-Sharing; 7. State Capacity for Stability; 8. Plenty Makes Peace: Education, Health and Labor Market Policies; 9. Forgiving not Fighting: Fostering Trust and Reconciliation; 10. A Role For All Of Us? Smart Idealism, Global Public Opinion and International Support for Peace; 11. Global Coordination to Curb Conflict; Part IV. The Art of Peace: Take Home Messages: 12. Conclusion; References; Index.

'This is an important book on the causes of violent conflict and its remedies by one of the world's foremost scholars on the topic. In writing it for a wide audience, Rohner has succeeded in giving a lucid account of the complex research quest for robust results. Past public policy errors have much to answer for: the lives of millions of poor people have been blighted due to naivety and negligence. Governments, and the voters who elected them, both need to read it.' Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Oxford University, and author of Left Behind: A New Economics for Neglected Places