Outsourcing Peace?

Private companies provide security and military
services to states, international organizations,
international non-governmental organizations, and
individuals. This thesis addresses the United
Nation s use of private security and military
companies (PSCs and PMCs). The study looks into the
characteristics of this practice and subsequently
provides some explanations for the pattern and
rationale thereof. The study suggests both
radicalized external operating environments and
internal organizational capacities have contributed
to increasing the demand for private security
services. On the supply side, the analysis indicates
that comprehensive image refinement efforts on part
of the industry have added to the UN deploying these
companies. This thesis thus argues that the UN s use
of PSCs and PMCs can be explained by the UN
simultaneously facing more difficult premises for its
operations, enhanced expectations for action, and
proportionally deteriorated internal capacity. The
private security and military industry on its part
has detected the UN potential market and strive to
accommodate to the demands of this potentially very
profitable market.

Autorentext

Åse Gilje Østensen is research fellow at the Departement of
Comparative Politics, Bergen University, Norway. Her field of
interest is centered around private security- and military
comnpanies and the democratic costs of privatizing security.

Klappentext

Private companies provide security and military
services to states, international organizations,
international non-governmental organizations, and
individuals. This thesis addresses the United
Nation's use of private security and military
companies (PSCs and PMCs). The study looks into the
characteristics of this practice and subsequently
provides some explanations for the pattern and
rationale thereof. The study suggests both
radicalized external operating environments and
internal organizational capacities have contributed
to increasing the demand for private security
services. On the supply side, the analysis indicates
that comprehensive image refinement efforts on part
of the industry have added to the UN deploying these
companies. This thesis thus argues that the UN's use
of PSCs and PMCs can be explained by the UN
simultaneously facing more difficult premises for its
operations, enhanced expectations for action, and
proportionally deteriorated internal capacity. The
private security and military industry on its part
has detected the UN potential market and strive to
accommodate to the demands of this potentially very
profitable market.