Global Public Policy Institute
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24 September 2010
GPPi publishes research paper on non-Western donors of humanitarian aid
GPPi researchers Andrea Binder, Claudia Meier and Julia Steets have published a new study titled Humanitarian assistance: truly universal? A mapping study of non-Western donors. The new paper represents a core output of the research and dialogue project Humanitarian Assistance: Truly Universal?, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The project’s goal is to develop a deeper understanding of the norms, interests, policies and operational procedures that shape the way selected non-Western donor countries approach humanitarian aid.
In a first section of the paper, the authors analyze the relationship between non-Western contributors and the traditional humanitarian aid system. They conclude that despite significant contributions to international organizations, non-Western donors remain outside the policy and norm-setting fora at the international level. By and large, they are either reluctant to join a system associated with established donorship or they run into barriers to join the existing fora.
In a second part of the paper, the authors take a closer look at the incentive structures and approaches of nine non-Western donors: Brazil, China, India, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
In part three, Binder, Meier and Steets synthesize commonalities and differences in the approaches of non-Western contributors and build the analytical framework for the in-depth case studies that will form the core of the research project. Currently, two joint inter-cultural teams are using this framework to develop case studies on India and Saudi Arabia.
For further information please contact Claudia Meier