Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction

The course concerns principles, policies and practices of humanitarian aid and reconstruction during and after conflict or natural disaster. The central ideas and models that guide humanitarian aid and reconstruction are introduced and the major points of debate concerning these interventions are discussed. The course further deals with the organization and politics of aid and its donors, the perceptions and practices of local people, the security context of aid, and the relation with development. The course addresses these issues with a focus on everyday practices and the perceptions and interaction of the key actors: governments, international agencies and NGOs, and affected populations, as well as the surrounding stakeholders, including the military and the media.

After successful completion of this course, students are expected to be able to:

• identify the central principles and policy models in humanitarian aid and reconstruction;
• identify the relevant institutional structures and aid flows in humanitarian aid and reconstruction;
• identify the key actors and interfaces in humanitarian aid and reconstruction;
• analyse quality and effectiveness of humanitarian aid and reconstruction;
• critically reflect on the relation between emergency aid and long-term development;
• analyse the political and governance impact of humanitarian aid and reconstruction;
• critically reflect on the relevance of the concepts and debates addressed in the course for concrete actual cases of humanitarian aid and reconstruction.