Political Stability and its Impacts on Humanitarian Response: Lessons from Haiti and Nepal

In recent years, disaster relief has emerged as a crucial subject of international development, on which the roles of non-state actors are becoming increasingly visible. There is a debate about the relations between (in)stable political environment and the effectiveness of non-state actors’ aid delivery missions in disaster areas. Some argue that a stable political environment with good coordination and sufficient governance capacity could enhance non-state actors’ operational effectiveness, while others believe that the weak governance capacity led by an unstable political environment may grant non-state actors more autonomy and flexibility to operate without interference from the authorities. This research aims to navigate this debate through a qualitative content analysis of two cases selected using the most similar system design: the 2010 Haiti Earthquake and the 2015 Nepal Earthquake. Totally 60 documents including official reports published by international organizations and...Show moreIn recent years, disaster relief has emerged as a crucial subject of international development, on which the roles of non-state actors are becoming increasingly visible. There is a debate about the relations between (in)stable political environment and the effectiveness of non-state actors’ aid delivery missions in disaster areas. Some argue that a stable political environment with good coordination and sufficient governance capacity could enhance non-state actors’ operational effectiveness, while others believe that the weak governance capacity led by an unstable political environment may grant non-state actors more autonomy and flexibility to operate without interference from the authorities. This research aims to navigate this debate through a qualitative content analysis of two cases selected using the most similar system design: the 2010 Haiti Earthquake and the 2015 Nepal Earthquake. Totally 60 documents including official reports published by international organizations and news articles are examined to evaluate the performance of non-state actors and the challenges they face. The findings display a much more effective operation in Nepal led by an established coordination framework, while the relief process was made unnecessarily difficult in Haiti given the lack of effective coordination and transparent information sharing. By enhancing our understanding of the interplay between state and non- state actors, this thesis highlights their complementary roles and emphasizes the importance of carefully considering the local political landscape while carrying out aid delivery.Show less

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Political Stability and its Impacts on Humanitarian Response: Lessons from Haiti and Nepal