We study how peace is understood around the world. We look for what all these different ideas have in common. Then we build tools that help the field work together better.
The peace field has grown enormously. There are organisations collecting data, running programmes on the ground, advising governments, training mediators, and funding projects.
But there is one question that has never been properly addressed: what does "peace" actually mean? Different organisations use the word in very different ways. That makes it hard to compare results, coordinate efforts, or build on each other's work.
We are trying to answer that question. Not by saying one definition is right and others are wrong, but by finding what all definitions share.
A world where peace organisations can work from shared foundations. Where resources add up instead of overlapping. Where every organisation's contribution is clear.
Rigour. The research has to hold up to serious questioning.
Dialogue. Theory shaped by people doing the work on the ground.
Long-term thinking. This is patient, generational work.
Openness. Open research. Shared progress. Honest about what we do not know.
The Institute started in 2025. Before that, it was called the Peace and Conflict Science Institute (PACS). The new name reflects a sharper focus: instead of broad peace research, we concentrate on one specific question. What is peace, really?
The field already has strong organisations doing data (SIPRI), measurement (IEP), academic research (PRIO), and field operations (USIP). What was missing was someone asking the foundational question underneath all of that.
Anders founded the Institute because he saw a gap: the peace field had built impressive capacity but had never systematically asked what peace itself means. He wanted to change that.
His background: philosophy and international relations (Stockholm University), human rights (Uppsala University), and international peace studies (the UN-mandated University for Peace). Field experience in Mexico, Geneva, and Sweden.
From this mix of theory and hands-on work, he developed a framework that looks at what all definitions of peace have in common. It was published as a peer-reviewed paper.
Based in a city with a long tradition of peace research, alongside organisations like SIPRI. Sweden provides a good environment for independent, long-term work.
The Institute is independent. No government ties. No political alignment. Registered as a nonprofit under Swedish law.
The research is published. The networks include 600+ organisations. Everything is built to support your work, not replace it.