The Special Issue on Transnational Corporations and Conflict ("Transnationale Unternehmen und Konflikt. Zur Gewaltförmigkeit politisch-ökonomischer Ordnungen") of the Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (ZeFKo), co-edited by Hannah Franzki of INTERACT, Christian Scheper, Carolina Vestena has now been published.

The special issue deals with the connection between companies, social conflicts and violence, placing transnational corporations (TNCs) at the centre of the analysis of violent conflicts.
It focusses on three connections that have hardly been discussed in peace and conflict research to date: Firstly, conflict and violence are localised in the political order itself, instead of primarily grasping the causes of violence at the margins of orders or as a consequence of their collapse, as has mostly been the case to date. Secondly, it proposes viewing TNCs as actors and institutions of violent political order rather than merely as private actors and to focus on the role of law in their constitution and thus also for the conflicts resulting from their power. Thirdly, the political character of TNCs in the capitalist system is emphasised, as entrepreneurial action, which is guided by private profit interests, always has an impact on the community. This is also evident in current conflicts such as those surrounding the Tesla factory in Brandenburg.

Most of the articles in the special issue are open access.