Navigating Hostility: Adaptation strategies of search-and-rescue NGOs in the Central Mediterranean

Given the increasing criminalisation search-and-rescue (SAR) non-governmental organisations (NGOs) face in the Central Mediterranean, this study examines the adaptation strategies employed by these organisations in response to the changing political and legal frameworks. It investigates how SAR NGOs have adapted their actions and behaviour to address the increasingly hostile environment in which they operate. The findings demonstrate that SAR NGOs have deployed a diverse range of adaptation strategies, namely the professionalisation of their operations, the adherence to changed legal frameworks, the close monitoring of their environment and the strengthening of their adaptive capability. Moreover, they engage in stonewalling, influence regulatory directions, increasingly collaborate with other SAR NGOs and external actors, and try to garner as much public support as possible. The findings contribute to the existing literature on the activities and behaviour of SAR NGOs operating in...Show moreGiven the increasing criminalisation search-and-rescue (SAR) non-governmental organisations (NGOs) face in the Central Mediterranean, this study examines the adaptation strategies employed by these organisations in response to the changing political and legal frameworks. It investigates how SAR NGOs have adapted their actions and behaviour to address the increasingly hostile environment in which they operate. The findings demonstrate that SAR NGOs have deployed a diverse range of adaptation strategies, namely the professionalisation of their operations, the adherence to changed legal frameworks, the close monitoring of their environment and the strengthening of their adaptive capability. Moreover, they engage in stonewalling, influence regulatory directions, increasingly collaborate with other SAR NGOs and external actors, and try to garner as much public support as possible. The findings contribute to the existing literature on the activities and behaviour of SAR NGOs operating in the Central Mediterranean, as well as on humanitarian NGOs, and organisational adaptation more generally. Further research could explore the adaptation strategies of other actors involved, focus on how factors such as SAR NGOs financing influence their adaptation strategies, and analyse the effectiveness of the different adaptation strategies employed by the SAR NGOs.Show less

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Navigating Hostility: Adaptation strategies of search-and-rescue NGOs in the Central Mediterranean