The Global Peace Index
...was published today.
121 countries have been ranked by their ‘absence of violence’, using metrics that combine both internal and external factors. Most people understand the absence of violence as an indicator of peace. This definition also allows for the measuring of peacefulness within, as well as between, nations.
Developed in conjunction with the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney, the GPI boasts an impressive list of endorsers, including our own Joseph Stiglitz.
Personally, given the difficulties involved in defining the term 'peace', I doubt the index is going to be of much use to researchers - but who knows?
