Governing disasters: engaging local populations in humanitarian relief

With growing awareness of the devastation caused by major natural disasters, alongside integration of governance and technology networks, the parameters of humanitarian aid are becoming more global. At the same time, humanitarian instruments are increasingly recognizing the centrality of local participation. Drawing on six case studies and a survey of 69 members of the relief sector, this book suggests that the key to the efficacy of post-disaster recovery is the primacy given to local actors in the management, direction and design of relief programs. Where local partnership and knowledge generation and application is ongoing, cohesive, meaningful and inclusive, disaster relief efforts are more targeted, cost-effective, efficient and timely. Governing Disasters: Engaging Local Populations in Humanitarian Relief examines the interplay between law, governance and collaborative decision making with international, state, private sector and community actors in order to understand the dynamics of a global decentralized yet coordinated process of post-disaster humanitarian assistance.

New governance & humanitarian aid -- Legal background : post-disaster humanitarian aid law & policy -- Theory and practice of international response -- Indonesia's tsunami of 2004 -- The Haitian earthquake of 2010 -- Theory and practice of state-led response -- The Thai flood of 2011 -- Japan's Tohoku earthquake and tsunami 2011 -- Hurricane Katrina -- Myanmar's cyclone Nargis of 2008 -- Public-private partnerships through crowd-sourced governance -- Governance and humanitarian aid survey data -- Conclusions: lessons learned/policy suggestions.

Applications of New Governance Approaches in the Humanitarian ContextStandardizing versus Diversification; Accountability and Supervision in UN Humanitarian Assistance; Strengths and Shortcomings of New Governance; Assessment in Light of the Research Objectives; 2 Legal Background: Post-disaster Humanitarian Aid Law and Policy; Introduction; Meaning of Humanitarian Aid; Legal and Policy Issues in Humanitarian Aid; Legal Basis and Regulation of Humanitarian Aid; Challenges in Implementing Humanitarian Legal Obligations; Principles Regulating Humanitarian Aid

With growing awareness of the devastation caused by major natural disasters, alongside integration of governance and technology networks, the parameters of humanitarian aid are becoming more global. At the same time, humanitarian instruments are increasingly recognizing the centrality of local participation. Drawing on six case studies and a survey of 69 members of the relief sector, this book suggests that the key to the efficacy of post-disaster recovery is the primacy given to local actors in the management, direction and design of relief programs. Where local partnership and knowledge generation and application is ongoing, cohesive, meaningful and inclusive, disaster relief efforts are more targeted, cost-effective, efficient and timely. Governing Disasters: Engaging Local Populations in Humanitarian Relief examines the interplay between law, governance and collaborative decision making with international, state, private sector and community actors in order to understand the dynamics of a global decentralized yet coordinated process of post-disaster humanitarian assistance

Introduction -- New governance & humanitarian aid -- Legal background : post-disaster humanitarian aid law & policy -- Theory and practice of international response -- Indonesia's tsunami of 2004 -- The Haitian earthquake of 2010 -- Theory and practice of state-led response -- The Thai flood of 2011 -- Japan's Tohoku earthquake and tsunami 2011 -- Hurricane Katrina -- Myanmar's cyclone Nargis of 2008 -- Public-private partnerships through crowd-sourced governance -- Governance and humanitarian aid survey data -- Conclusions : lessons learned/policy suggestions