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Abstract
The peace prosperity nexus is vital for the rebuilding of a post conflict country. This thesis documents the case of post conflict Bougainville in Papua New Guinea that has emerged out of conflict following a decade long separatist war. It reports on the significance of a rebound in the economy and cocoa production by the smallholders particularly for building and sustaining peace. The analysis reveals three important findings. Firstly, the contributing factors to the rebound in incomes. Secondly, security of tenure for land used to grow cocoa is critical to investment and growth in productivity. Thirdly, intra-regional trade of cocoa within Bougainville has been critical to cementing ties across communities that were previously in conflict with each other.
This research enriches the existing literature on peace prosperity nexus by contributing to the understanding of three important factors: the revitalisation of agriculture sector, tenure security of tree crops and investment, and intra-regional trade and commerce. It shows that peace and economic recovery is important as they strengthen and reinforce each other. This study contributes to the growing empirical research on the nexus between peace and economic recovery that contributes to lasting and sustainable peace.