The internal destabilization of many poor countries that accompanied the end of the Cold War and the general failure of structural adjustment programs have changed the nature and allotment of foreign aid around the world. Major donors of foreign aid such as the United States, Japan, and the European Union have been shifting their geographical priorities in allocating aid, as well as their project emphasis, since the end of the Cold War. In addition, multilateral aid agencies--the World Bank, the United Nations, and the Interna-tional Monetary Fund--are attempting to redress past failures of aid and revamp policies and priorities. Moreover, aid recipients in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Eastern Europe, the former Soviet republics, and Central America are establishing priorities of their own and evaluating the success and failure of past aid programs. This volume stands out in the literature on foreign aid because it includes contributions from eight policy representatives from a range of important donor and recipient countries--the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, Bolivia, Egypt, Bangladesh, El Salvador, and Poland. Timely in its assessment of the crisis and the transition in the foreign aid regime, the book pro-vides a view from inside the policy process and im-parts a researcher's perspective on the changing pri-orities for donors and recipients. The wide-ranging essay--most previously unpublished--aim to shed light on the changing political, economic, and regional geographies of aid at the end of the twentieth century.

In The Foreign Aid Business, Kunibert Raffer and Hans Singer offer an incisive analysis of aid and development finance, examine the key issues and new trends in aid as well as proposing a series of fundamental improvements. Distinguishing clearly between 'aid' and 'help' in development finance, the authors discuss aid in the context of other North-South flows, such as trade or debt service, and describe its role and evolution during the Cold War. They address in detail issues such as food aid, the European Union's Lome co-operation, Japan's emergence as the largest donor and its specific aid philosophy, the often neglected question of South-South aid and the role of non-governmental organizations. The new trends analyzed in this book include political conditionality, the UNDP's proposal to reorient aid towards human development and the question of aid diversion to the former communist countries. The Foreign Aid Business concludes by proposing a series of innovative reforms for development aid and finance. The authors advocate major improvements which include combining emergency and development aid, the financial accountability of donors, international insolvency to stop aid bailing-out creditors and the emulation of the Marshall pla's successful self-monitoring by recipients. Combining a sophisticated analysis of current issues and trends with innovative new ideas for raising the effectiveness of development aid and finance, this substantial new book will be welcomed by academic scholars, policymakers and practitioners as a major contribution to our understanding of the foreign aid business.

At approximately 8:45 a.m. on 6 December 1917, the Belgian Relief vessel IMO struck the munitions-laden freighter Mont-Blanc in Halifax Harbour. The Mont-Blanc exploded in a devastating 2.9 kiloton blast, which killed 2,000 people and injured 9,000. More than 6,000 people were made homeless, and an additional 12,000 were left without shelter. Bearing Witness tells the story of the Explosion, and the catastrophic damage it caused, through the eyes and words of more than two dozen journalists and record keepers who experienced it first hand. Their accounts reveal a unique perspective, offering new detail about the tragedy and providing insight into the individuals who struggled to articulate the magnitude of the shocking event to the rest of the world. In addition to the original work by journalists and record keepers, Michael Dupuis provides over 30 photographs and illustrations, several previously unseen, and a detailed timeline of journalistic activities from the time of the Explosion on December 6 to December 16.

Once again nature's fury has taken a toll in pain, suffering, and lives lost. In recognition of the need for a rapid and appropriate response, CRC Press will donate $5 to the American Red Cross for every copy of Community Disaster Recovery and Resiliency: Exploring Global Opportunities and Challenges sold. In the past, societies would learn from disasters and move the location of their urban development to safer areas, allowing naturally occurring ecosystems to maintain themselves and for societies to exist symbiotically with the environment. These days, however, it seems that society no longer takes cues from the environment but rather relies on technical advancement to attempt to control and overcome the environment, sometimes with wholly unsuccessful and even catastrophic results. Emphasizing non-traditional approaches to disaster recovery and rebuilding communities, Community Disaster Recovery and Resiliency: Exploring Global Opportunities and Challenges brings together leading research from top academics and scholars on the different ways various societies have experienced disasters, learned from them, and revised their thinking about building community preparedness and resiliency pre- and post-disaster. Provides a clear, concise, and up-to-date understanding of best practices for rebuilding community institutions and community development after a disaster Focuses on integrated solutions for ecological restoration and community development in disaster recovery planning and implementation Compares and contrasts community rebuilding between different nations at different stages of development, economic power, and stability Includes case studies that illustrate best practices, integrating the concept of community and community rebuilding for local, national, and international stakeholders All chapters offer diverse community examples that form a framework for comparing best practices. They focus on integrated solutions for ecological restoration and community development and explain how communities can reduce their vulnerability to disasters and reduce recovery time following a disaster. The book indentifies the opportunities and challenges communities are most likely to face on the road to recovery and supplies the interdisciplinary, social scientific understanding required to effectively address those challenges.

This volume examines the public/private sector mix in a variety of national healthcare systems and their interface with the goals of health equity and quality of healthcare. By examining the mix of public and private sector funding of healthcare services as well as the mix of public and private sector delivery of healthcare services in various national contexts, the authors will address the question of how various national systems are affected with respect to their ability, or the lack thereof, to achieve goals of health equity and quality of healthcare in an efficient manner. The significance of this collection of national studies involving the public/private sector mix is that it will provide insights into the factors that enhance the public/private sector mix in fulfilling the goals of health equity and the quality of healthcare services as well as an understanding of the circumstances in which elements of the public/private sector mix may be harmful for the achievement of such goals. This volume will examine these issues as they have arisen in the United States, France, The Netherlands, Sweden, The Russian Federation, Italy, Brazil, Uruguay, and Japan. An additional set of three comparative chapters will examine two or more nations, collectively in Canada, Israel, Australia, Germany, The United Kingdom, Chile and Mexico.

Discover a modern approach to understanding threats and hazards that are more complex, costly, and devastating than ever before. Agencies around the world rely on geographic information systems (GIS) every day to plan for and mitigate complicated threats and hazards and coordinate emergency response and recovery efforts. Location intelligence provides the kind of deep, real-time data insights needed for managers, directors, and other decision-makers to analyze risk, gain situational awareness, and manage tomorrow's emergencies. Dealing with Disasters: GIS for Emergency Management explores a collection of real-life case studies about emergency management agencies successfully using GIS for real and potential hazards. Chapters are laid out to explore three primary areas of disaster management: Preparedness: To effectively reduce risks, emergency management professionals must incorporate real-time data, big data, and other critical data feeds into their analysis. Learn how organizations spanning from Arizona to Taiwan use data-driven insights to effectively prepare for worst-case scenarios. Response: Emergency management professionals must become more agile and informed at all points during response efforts. Find out how the US National Park Service, the Puerto Rico Emergency Operations Center, and others have successfully responded to growing threats that require agility and effective communication to save lives and property. Recovery: Recovery efforts can take years, and it's critical to avoid missteps that delay progress. See how tools like drones help refugees; imagery helps insurance companies; and maps help post-tornado efforts while aiding in prioritizing work and delivering on every recovery dollar invested in a community. Each of the three themed parts also includes a "how to get started" section that provides ideas, strategies, tools, and actions to help jump-start your own use of GIS for emergency management, and an index organized by disaster type allows you to quickly learn or refresh yourself on GIS implementation. A collection of online resources, including additional stories, videos, new ideas and concepts, and downloadable tools and content, complements this book. Use Dealing with Disasters: GIS for Emergency Management as a guide for strategizing against and surviving the emergencies that befall communities. Introduction by Martin O'Malley, former governor of Maryland, former mayor of Baltimore, and author of Smarter Government: How to Govern for Results in the Information Age (Esri Press, 2019).

This revealing and challenging study of the impact of famine on North Korea not only significantly enlarges our understanding of that hermetic country but also urges us to reassess how we deal with it.Drawing on impressive scholarship and extensive firsthand knowledge of humanitarian relief efforts in North Korea, Hazel Smith provides an eye-opening account of the famine that devastated the country in the 1990s and of the international rescue program that Pyongyang requested and received. Together, she explains, the famine and the humanitarian response have wrought subtle but profound changes in North Korea's economy, society, and security outlook. She makes a compelling argument that the regime has been prodded into accepting some international norms, allowed markets to develop, and has included some human security concerns alongside military-political interests in its negotiations with the West.The famine and its consequences, the author contends, have made North Korea much more "knowable" and predictable than most Western experts choose to believe. Treating North Korea as a rational actor, albeit one with an idiosyncratic mindset, will enhance long-term regional peace and cooperation; isolating and demonizing it will only perpetuate the anxieties that fuel Pyongyang's belligerence.

""A much needed, eminently readable, concise and practical textbook ... New issues on humanitarian reform, non-communicable diseases, equity, corruption, and the role of military and private security firms are only some of the topics that have not been included in previous text books on this subject. I highly recommend this book for students and practitioners who wish to learn about the subject or simply update themselves on the latest developments in the field of conflict and public health."
Paul Spiegel, Deputy Director of the Division of Programme Support and Management at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Switzerland

"These are the most difficult environments to program in; physically, emotionally, politically and morally. Providing public health support and assistance here demands courage, rigor, a commitment to professionalism and an obsession with evidence. This book provides just such a foundation, equipping the student and practitioner to better understand the nature of conflict, the theory and practice of humanitarian assistance and the possibilities for recovery after conflict. It is destined to become an obligatory text for all humanitarian professionals."
Dr. Peter Walker, Irwin H. Rosenberg Professor of Nutrition and Human Security, Tufts University, USA

"This book is a unique and valuable addition to the study of the health consequences of conflict. In a concise and easy-to-read format, it provides the reader with a clear overview of a broad range of potentially complex issues, including context, policy, health interventions, field management, and post-conflict reconstruction. Few other texts have tackled the theory and practice of humanitarian health as effectively and succinctly."
Richard Brennan, Director of Emergency Risk Management and Humanitarian Response, World Health Organization"

Part of the popular "Understanding Public Health" series, this book provides an introductory overview of current health-related challenges and policy debates on appropriate responses to different humanitarian conflicts. Written by experts, it explores the context of conflict and health, the interventions used in humanitarian crises and post-conflict resolution issues.

The book is packed with international case studies and real life examples, which will assist healthcare professionals and students to: Explain the political, economic and social factors contributing to conflict Interpret the effects of conflict on health Consider context-sensitive interventions for acute and chronic healthcare delivery and security Describe key issues in the transition from relief to rehabilitation, health systems strengthening, and post-conflict recovery Knowledge of humanitarian principles, actors and methods is integral to effective action at policy and field levels in conflict-affected settings. This timely book will provide the ideal starting point.

"Understanding Public Health" is an innovative series published by Open University Press in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Series Editors: Rosalind Plowman and Nicki Thorogood.

"Contributors Fiona Campbell, Steve Commins, Sophia Craig, Nadine Ezard, Michelle Gayer, Peter Giesen, Andre Griekspoor, Rukhsana Haider, Michiel Hofman, Mazeda Hossain, Natasha Howard, Chris Lewis, Adrianna Murphy, James Pallet, Valerie Parcival, Preeti Patel, Paul Sender, Egbert Sondorp, Jean-Francois Trani, Peter Ventevogel and Annemarie ter Veen."

The reconstruction of Kosovo after 1999 was one of the largest and most ambitious international interventions in a post-conflict country. The United Nations, other major multinational organisations and many large bilateral aid donors all played a role in restoring stability and establishing governance in the territory. This book looks beyond the apparently united and generally self-congratulatory statements of these international actors to examine what actually happened when they tried to work together in Kosovo to achieve this goal. It considers the interests and motivations, and the strengths and weaknesses of each of the major players and how they contributed to the creation of new institutions in public finance and public sector management. -- .

Record breaking hurricane seasons, tornados, tsunamis, earthquakes, and intentional acts of mass-casualty violence, give lie to the delusion that disasters are the anomaly and not the norm. Disaster management is rooted in the fundamental belief that we can protect ourselves. Even if we cannot control all the causes, we can prepare and respond. We can craft constructive, workable policy that will contribute to the prevention of enormous financial impact, destruction of the environment, and needless loss of life.
Integrating scholarly articles from international experts and first hand accounts from the practitioner community, Disaster Management Handbook presents an analytical critique of the interrelated, multidisciplinary issues of preparedness, response, and recovery in anticipating and rebuilding from disasters. Beginning with an introduction to the theoretical constructs and conceptual foundations of disaster management, the book reviews the relationship of modern development to disaster vulnerability, the politics of disaster management, leadership, and the role of agency coordination. The second and third sections examine case studies and lessons learned through natural disasters in North America and around the world. They compare and contrast the efficacy of different management strategies from national, provincial, and local governments, as well as non-governmental agencies.
Taking a narrower scope, the fourth section focuses on emergency personnel and the methods and issues faced in on-the-scene response and preparation. It also considers the special needs of hospitals and the effective use of the media. Contributions in the final two sections present strategies forlimiting and ameliorating the psychological impact of disaster on victims and personnel, and look forward to how we can be better prepared in the future and rebuild stronger, more resilient communities.

The 2010 earthquake in Haiti was one of the deadliest disasters in modern history, sparking an international aid response - with pledges and donations of $16 billion - that was exceedingly generous. But now, five years later, that generous aid has clearly failed. In Humanitarian Aftershocks in Haiti, anthropologist Mark Schuller captures the voices of those involved in the earthquake aid response, and they paint a sharp, unflattering view of the humanitarian enterprise. Schuller led an independent study of eight displaced-persons camps in Haiti, compiling more than 150 interviews ranging from Haitian front-line workers and camp directors to foreign humanitarians and many displaced Haitian people. The result is an insightful account of why the multi-billion-dollar aid response not only did little to help but also did much harm, triggering a range of unintended consequences, rupturing Haitian social and cultural institutions, and actually increasing violence, especially against women. The book shows how Haitian people were removed from any real decision-making, replaced by a top-down, NGO-dominated system of humanitarian aid, led by an army of often young, inexperienced foreign workers. Ignorant of Haitian culture, these aid workers unwittingly enacted policies that triggered a range of negative results. Haitian interviewees also note that the NGOs ""planted the flag"", and often tended to ""just do something"", always with an eye to the ""photo op"" (in no small part due to the competition over funding). Worse yet, they blindly supported the eviction of displaced people from the camps, forcing earthquake victims to relocate in vast shantytowns that were hotbeds of violence. Humanitarian Aftershocks in Haiti concludes with suggestions to help improve humanitarian aid in the future, perhaps most notably, that aid workers listen to - and respect the culture of - the victims of catastrophe.

Since the mid-1990s, Western Tanzania has hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees living in massive refugee camps sustained by millions of dollars of humanitarian aid. This title explores the anomalous spaces and practices generated by this influx of people and humanitarian aid, and shows how they have transformed the politics and governmental practices of the region. In more than fourteen months of qualitative and quantitative research, the author found that the refugee influx did not produce the deleterious economic and environmental effects often assumed. Outside the camps, a Tanzanian population long at the margins of their own country's economics and politics became incorporated into systems of power and authority which linked them to Dar es Salaam, central Africa, Geneva, Washington, and the grain farmers of the American Midwest. Amidst the violence and conflict surrounding the camps, they became 'Tanzanian' as never before by exalting the territory, the nation, and a political leadership that delegated responsibility for security and services to others - the United Nations, nongovernmental organisations, and the citizenry. The result was a hybridised regime of power shaped by history, contingency, self-interest and perception - a political form that questions models of rural transformation and the functional basis of the modern nation-state. The Humanitarian Hangover is a resource, not only for scholars of displacement but also for political scientists and sociologists concerned with how displacement and humanitarianism can serve as primary catalysts for social, political and economic change.

Charles Perrow is famous worldwide for his ideas about normal accidents, the notion that multiple and unexpected failures--catastrophes waiting to happen--are built into our society's complex systems. In "The Next Catastrophe," he offers crucial insights into how to make us safer, proposing a bold new way of thinking about disaster preparedness.

Perrow argues that rather than laying exclusive emphasis on protecting targets, we should reduce their size to minimize damage and diminish their attractiveness to terrorists. He focuses on three causes of disaster--natural, organizational, and deliberate--and shows that our best hope lies in the deconcentration of high-risk populations, corporate power, and critical infrastructures such as electric energy, computer systems, and the chemical and food industries. Perrow reveals how the threat of catastrophe is on the rise, whether from terrorism, natural disasters, or industrial accidents. Along the way, he gives us the first comprehensive history of FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security and examines why these agencies are so ill equipped to protect us.

"The Next Catastrophe" is a penetrating reassessment of the very real dangers we face today and what we must do to confront them. Written in a highly accessible style by a renowned systems-behavior expert, this book is essential reading for the twenty-first century. The events of September 11 and Hurricane Katrina--and the devastating human toll they wrought--were only the beginning. When the next big disaster comes, will we be ready? In a new preface to the paperback edition, Perrow examines the recent (and ongoing) catastrophes of the financial crisis, the BP oil spill, and global warming.

This book provides a historical account of the NGO CARE as one of the largest humanitarian NGOs worldwide from 1945 to 1980. Readers interested in international relations and humanitarian hunger prevention are provided with fascinating insights into the economic and business related aspects of Western non-governmental politics, fundraising and philanthropic giving in this field. Not only does the book contributes to ongoing research about the rise of NGOs in the international realm, it also offers very rich empirical material on the political implications of private and governmental international aid in a world marked by the order of the Cold War, decolonialization processes and the struggle of so called "Third World Countries" to catch up with modern Western consumer societies. This book is relevant to both United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 1, No poverty and 2, Zero hunger -- .

The book traces the history of international humanitarianism from the anti-slavery movement to the end of the cold war. It is based on an extensive survey of the international literature and is retold in an original narrative that relies on a close examination of the sources. The reconstruction of humanitarianism's long history unfolds around some crucial moments and events: the colonial expansion of European countries, the two world wars and their aftermaths, the emergence of a new postcolonial order. In terms of its contents, narrative style, interpretative approach the book is aimed at a large and diverse public including: scholars who are studying and teaching humanitarianism; students who need to learn about humanitarianism as part of their training or research; operators and volunteers who are engaged in the field; non-specialist readers who are interested in the topic because of its relevance to current events. -- .

Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are among the poorest in the world with the largest proportions of their populations in poverty and the lowest indicators of social progress. Many of these same countries are also among the most aid dependent in the world. And yet there is evidence that aid in large quantities is a double-edged sword; large amounts of aid over an extended period of time can make the strong stronger and the weak weaker. What, then, is to be done about aid dependence in Africa?

In this essay, the culmination of a two-year collaborative study between ODC and the African Economic Research Consortium in Nairobi, the authors explore strategies for reducing aid and aid dependence in Sub-Saharan Africa. They begin by addressing four key questions related to a smooth transition from aid dependence in Africa: What is aid dependence? What are the causes and consequences of aid dependence? What has been the experience of particular countries with aid dependence? And, what are the most important elements that aid donors and recipients should consider in a strategy to reduce aid dependence?

Dr. Lancaster proposes a value-free definition of aid dependence, explores in detail the elements and impact dependence (especially on recipient institutions and organizations), develops empirical materials on aid dependence in individual African countries, and finally, proposes specific strategies for reducing aid dependence.

With the prospect of further decreases in aid to Africa and the rising concerns about the disappointing impact of large flows of aid to many African countries, it is timely and even urgent that the issue of reducing aid dependence be addressed. This essay makes an important contribution toward advancing this important task.