The foundation of peace economics in the thought of Kenneth Boulding

The topic of this essay is the "triangular theory" of social systems as articulated by Kenneth Boulding. This theory encompasses the role of three systems: exchange, threat, and integrative systems. It can be considered the foundation of peace economics because it comprehensively highlights: (i) the pernicious and costly characteristics of threat systems, particularly their intrinsic instability in the long run; (ii) the detrimental effects of threat systems on economic development; (iii) the key elements of integrative systems; and (iv) the existence of a stable peace as an optimal state that is conceptually distinct from deterrence due to the dominance of integrative systems over both exchange and threat systems.