This project studies how bureaucratic behavior influences policy implementation. It presents a novel bureaucratic access points and leverage theory, which help us understand how policies are successfully implemented in the midst of bureaucratic challenges resulting from organizational roles and responsibilities and contrasting assessments. The concept of access points has traditionally involved lobbyists and interest groups accessing elected officials and their staffs. I ask what is the effect of bureaucrats accessing bureaucrats directly in the policy implementation process and its subsequent evaluation. I argue that bureaucrats leverage other bureaucrats during policy implementation proceedings, which adds the notion of power to access points theory. The focus of this investigation is the relationship between humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) agencies and associated Department of Defense (DOD) components, particularly DOD medical components providing wellness intervention. Bureaucratic access and leverage enables a more unified implementation of over-arching HA/DR policy by disparate agencies with unique missions, resources, capabilities, and assessment measures. The existing literature does not fully capture how such agency differences are mitigated and overcome in implementing policy that spans multiple entities. Bureaucratic access points and leverage theory offers bureaucrats the analytical capability to know who is controlling policy implementation. It also presents a tool they can use to maintain and increase their own influence and power within a policy domain. / text

隨著全球氣候變遷，天然災害發生頻率越來越高，人道救援的重要性、多元性、緊急性及複雜性更加凸顯，國際人道援助已然成為當代普世價值，因此聯合國與歐盟在1990年代重新改組人道援助機構，統一人道援助事務的事與權，使得國際人道援助機制更臻完善。 首先，海地2010年發生世紀強震，國際社會發動近年來最大動員進行救援與救災，本文透過檢視跨國合作人道援助海地震災，瞭解國際人道援助機制之執行成果，共有包括美國等30餘個國家、聯合國等14個國際組織、紅十字國際委員會等37個非政府組織共同合作協助海地救災與重建工作。 其次，經檢視此次國際救災與重建工作之成果，除所號召的67支搜救隊就出的134生還者是近年來最多成功救援生還者最多的案例，直到2012年2月，原來震災後暫棲避難所的150萬災民也大幅減少至49萬人，預計修復與重建的房舍進度也達成50％，由上述成效觀之，各行為者之間並未出現疊床架屋之困境，反而出現團隊合作的情形，這要歸功於聯合國多年來進行救災累積的經驗。 此次主要由聯合國統一指揮，有效避免救災資源重疊及浪費的情形，並把握救災黃金時間提升人道援助的成效與成果。救災過程中雖因美國撤僑，派軍控制海地國際機場，導致各國救災行動一時受阻，引起撻伐，嗣經聯合國副秘書長John Holmes介入後及時解決此問題，應可作為日後聯合國與國際社會進行人道援助之借鏡，雖救災初期略為紊亂，整個人道救援過程仍稱順利，可謂「瑕不掩瑜」。 最後，中華民國的人道援助經費與聯合國、歐盟、美國及國際重要非政府組織動輒10幾億美元之經費相較之下微不足道，但中華民國此次人道援助策略秉持以自身的優勢及傳統援助強項為基本戰略，並以「小而美」、「小而巧」、「小而強」的原則規劃執行相關計畫，由中華民國執行重建計畫的執行效率，再與聯合國、歐盟及美國透過非政府組織所執行的計畫相較之下，中華民國的策略似乎較為奏效且真正符合受災國人民的迫切需求，這也將成為日後中華民國日後制訂人道援助政策的最佳參考模式。 / With global climate change, natural disasters occur more frequently; therefore, the importance, diversity, urgency and complexity of humanitarian assistance not only become more and more prominent, but also become contemporary universal value. In the 1990s, the United Nations and the European Union reshuffled their humanitarian aid agencies, by unifying Humanitarian Aid Office’s authority, the mechanism of the international humanitarian assistance becomes more complete. Firstly, in January 2010 Haiti was hit by a catastrophic-magnitude earthquake, causing great damages and losses. The international community launched in recent years the largest mobilization for rescue and disaster relief. The essay reviews cross-border cooperation in humanitarian aid for the Haiti earthquake and analyzes the implementation of international humanitarian assistance. A total of more than 30 countries including the United States, United Nations and other 14 international organizations, 37 non-governmental organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, work together to assist the Haitian relief and reconstruction work. Secondly, 134 survivors were rescued by 67 search and rescue teams, also claimed to be the most successful rescue case in past decades. Until February 2012, refuges that lived in the temporary camps are significantly reduced from 1.5 million to 490,000 and the percentage of the progress of the repair and reconstruction of the damaged houses has reached 50%. Instead of the overlap and waste of resources, all the international actors work together to make a great success, thanks to disaster relief experience accumulated in the United Nations over the years. The unified command of the United Nations effectively avoids duplication of relief resources and waste and takes advantage of the prime time in enhancing effectiveness and outcomes of the humanitarian aid. Although the evacuation of the United States’citizens in Haiti and the incident that the U.S. troops were sent to control Haiti International Airport in the relief process result in temporary drawback in the international disaster relief efforts, thus causing international discontent, the intervention of the UN Under-Secretary-General John Holmes helped resolve the issue. This could serve as a good example for United Nations and the international community to carry out humanitarian assistance on disaster relief in the future. Despite the early slight disorder, the whole humanitarian process proceeds with stability in the end. Finally, the humanitarian aid funds of the Republic of China（Taiwan） to the Haiti earthquake, compare with that of the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and other important international non-governmental organizations, are trivial, yet the Republic of China（Taiwan） makes the best use of its advantages and traditional strengths and followed the principles of “small but beautiful”, “small but clever” and “small but good”. The strategy of the implementation of the reconstruction plan of Taiwan, compares with that of the United Nations, the European Union and the United States, seems more effective and truly meets the urgent needs of the victims, which will also serve as the best reference model for Taiwan in the stipulation of its humanitarian aid policy in the future.

Thesis (M. of Military Art and Science)--U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, 2007. / "A thesis presented to the Faculty of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Military Art and Science, General Studies." Title from cover page of PDF file (viewed: May 29, 2008).

This study examined the relationship between spiritual intelligence (SI), emotional intelligence (EI), coping ability (CA), and burnout (BO) among humanitarian aid workers in Zimbabwe. A convenience sample of 296 (53% males and 47% females) humanitarian aid workers was used in the study. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to explore the contribution of SI, EI, and CA to the burnout. Results indicated that SI, EI, and CA are all significantly related to Burnout and its dimensions of emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalisation (DP) and personal accomplishment (PA) in humanitarian aid workers. CA and EI significantly contributed to the variation of scores in EE and DP whereas SI did not. However, all the three variables significantly contributed to the variation in PA. Gender, age, employment status and tenure in NGO had no significant relationships with EE, DP, or PA whereas contract type, length of service, educational level and nature of work were associated with statistically significant differences in EE, DP, and PA. The research contributed to the understanding of burnout among aid workers in Zimbabwe. Humanitarian organisations can use the findings to come up with scientifically backed recruitment, selection, training, and staff wellbeing policies and programmes that help to reduce the impact of burnout in the humanitarian aid sector. / Psychology / D. Phil. (Consulting Psychology)

According to the 2005 Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey, HIV prevalence in Gambella region where Fugnido refugee camp is located is 6%, which is the highest prevalence data recorded in the country. Similarly, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Health Information System (HIS) demonstrates that Fugnido has the highest HIV prevalence compared to other refugee camps in Ethiopia and furthermore shows variation in prevalence among the two main ethnic groups in the camp, namely Agnuak and Nuer (about 8.5% and 2.3% respectively). The study seeks to investigate why a significant difference exists in the number of people with known HIV positive status among the Agnuak community compared to the Nuer community in the Fugnido refugee camp in Ethiopia. It does this by investigating factors that are presumed to explain HIV high risk-behaviour and vulnerability. This was a cross-sectional study of Agnuak and Nuer tribes living at the Fugnido refugee camp. The sampled population involved men and women refugees from the ages of 15 to 49 years. The study used a mixed method approach or methodological triangulation. Cluster sampling technique was used for the quantitative data collection. The sample size was 831 refugees (439 Agnuak and 390 Nuer). Seven (7) Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and 3 Key Informant (KI) interviews was used for the qualitative data collection. Findings show that the Agnuak were almost 4 times (OR=3.8, 95% CI [1.9-7.4] p < 0.05) more likely to practice risky behaviour compared to 0.3 times (OR=0.3, 95% CI [0.1- 0.9] p < 0.05) likelihood among the Nuer refugees. Factors associated with differences in risky behaviour for both Agnuak and Nuer included, inter alia, primary education as the highest level of education attained, 50% among the Agnuak (OR=0.5, 95% CI [0.3-0.8] p < 0.05), compared to Nuer community’s 30% (OR=0.3, 95% CI [0.2-0.6] p < 0.05). Access to HIV and voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) services was lower for the Agnuak (OR=1.8, 95% CI [1.1-2.9] p < 0.05) compared to the Nuer (OR=2.9, 95% CI [1.6-5.1] p < 0.05). Unlike the Nuer refugees, the Agnuak refugees who had experienced forced sex (OR=7.3, 95% CI [2.9-18.8] p < 0.05) and had a positive attitude (lack of or reduced stigma) towards HIV (OR=2.1, 95% CI [1.3-3.7] p < 0.05) were more positively associated with risky 6 behaviour (than the Nuer). The Nuer had no factor associated with risky behaviour that was different from that of the Agnuak. The study revealed more Agnuak refugees than Nuer refugees had been engaged in risky sexual behaviour by having multiple sex partners and being involved in transactional sex. The Nuer was more closed and reserved to having sexual relations outside of their group than the Agnuak were which contributed to their relatively lower HIV prevalence. Furthermore, there was very low condom use among the Nuer community compared to the Agnuak community, which was based on differential attitudes between the two communities concerning trust of partner and monogamous relations. The study findings recommend that humanitarian workers and community partners need to collaborate to develop congruent HIV interventions that go beyond traditional strategies of distributing condoms and focus on correct and consistent use of condoms in the camp. Humanitarian and community workers’ understanding the socioeconomic context of the communities and the influence of cultural and other factors, including behaviour with intervention strategies,could also curb the epidemic. / Sociology / M.A. (Sociology)

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), by 2012 there were 15.4 million refugees and 28.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) forced to flee their homes due to war or violent conflict across the globe. Upon arrival in their host settings, forced migrants struggle with acute health and material needs, as well as issues related to identity, politics, power and place. The Karen ethnic minority of Burma (also known as Myanmar) has been involved in a prolonged civil conflict with the Burmese military government for nearly six decades. This fighting has resulted in massive internal displacement and refugee flight, and although a ceasefire was signed in 2012, continued violence has been reported. This study among the displaced Karen population along the Thai-Burma border examines the relationships between traditional – or indigenous – medicine, the population's health needs, and the broader social and political context. Research was conducted using an ethnographic case-study approach among 170 participants along the Thai-Burma border between 2003 and 2011. Research findings document the rapid evolution and formalisation of the Karen traditional medical system. Findings show how the evolutionary process was influenced by social needs, an existing base medical knowledge among traditional health practitioners, and a dynamic social and political environment. Evidence suggests that that Karen traditional medicine practitioners, under the leadership of the Karen National Union (KNU) Department of Health and Welfare, are serving neglected and culturally-specific health needs among border populations. Moreover, this research also provides evidence that Karen authorities are revitalising their traditional medicine, as part of a larger effort to strengthen their social infrastructure including the Karen self-determination movement. In particular, these Karen authorities are focused on building a sustainable health infrastructure that can serve Karen State in the long term. From the perspectives of both refugee health and development studies, the revival of Karen traditional medicine within a refugee and IDP setting represents an adaptive response by otherwise medically under-served populations. This case offers a model of healthcare self-sufficiency that breaks with the dependency relationships characteristic of most conventional refugee and IDP health services. And, through the mobilisation of tradition for contemporary needs, it offers a dimension of cultural continuity in a context where discontinuity and loss of culture are hallmarks of the forced migration experience.

L'importance des catastrophes est un extrême qui peut difficilement être discuté. Ceci est largement dû à ses conséquences néfastes pour les personnes, leur propriété ou l'environnement. Ainsi, des exemples tels que ceux de Tchernobyl, l'ouragan Katrina, le tremblement de terre en Haïti en 2010 ou le tsunami et l'accident de la centrale nucléaire de Fukushima I en 2011, démontrent l'importance et la pertinence de ce problème.Les catastrophes se situent dans une situation transversale qui affecte les questions fondamentales du Droit international, comme la formulation de normes internationales ou les fonctions de ce secteur, entre autres. En outre, au cours des dernières années, le débat doctrinal concernant la réglementation des catastrophes par le droit international s'est intensifié. Cela met en évidence la fragmentation et la limitation de la réglementation juridique internationale sur ce sujet. Par conséquent, il est nécessaire d’effectuer une étude générale de ces événements qui permet une régulation holistique, dans laquelle les différents types et hypothèses ont une place. L'objectif de ce travail est donc de déterminer la réponse donnée par le Droit international dans les situations de catastrophe. À cette fin, une analyse de la pratique normative et institutionnelle existante a été établie. Ce travail tente de répondre à certaines questions autour des catastrophes telles que sa définition, quelles sont les normes en la matière ainsi que son efficacité. En outre, les développements institutionnels sont étudiés dans le domaine universel et régional centré sur les Nations Unies et l'Union Européenne. / Disasters’ significance is an aspect that can hardly be discussed. This is largely due to its harmful consequences for people, property or the environment. Accordingly, examples such as those of Chernobyl, Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 or the tsunami and subsequent accident at the Fukushima I nuclear power plant in 2011, demonstrate the importance and relevance of this problem.The disasters shall be considered as a transversal topic that affects basic issues of International Law such as the formulation of international standards or its core functions, among others. In addition, in recent years the doctrinal debate regarding the regulation of disasters by International Law has been increasing. Academic papers highlight the fragmentation and limitation of such international legal regulation. Therefore, it is necessary a general study of these events that allows a holistic regulation, in which the different types and assumptions could have a place. This work aims to determine the response offered by International Law in the event of disasters. For that, an analysis of the existing normative and institutional practice has been established to give answer to some of the questions around these events such as its definition, what are the existing norms as well as its effectiveness. Along with the normative analysis, institutional developments are studied focused on the United Nations and the European Union. / La importancia de las catástrofes es un extremo que difícilmente puede discutirse. Ello debido en gran medida a sus consecuencias perjudiciales para las personas, los bienes o el medioambiente. De este modo, ejemplos como los de Chernóbil, el huracán Katrina, el terremoto de Haití de 2010 o el maremoto y posterior accidente en la central nuclear de Fukushima I en 2011, demuestran la trascendencia y actualidad de este problema. Las catástrofes se sitúan como una situación transversal que afecta a cuestiones básicas del Derecho Internacional tales como la formulación de normas internacionales o las funciones de este sector, entre otras. Además, en los últimos años el debate doctrinal respecto de la regulación de las catástrofes por el Derecho Internacional ha ido en aumento. En éste se destaca la fragmentación y limitación de dicha regulación jurídico-internacional. Por ello, resulta necesario un estudio general de estos eventos que permita una reglamentación holística, en la que tengan cabida los distintos tipos y supuestos. El objetivo de este trabajo es determinar la respuesta ofrecida por el Derecho Internacional ante situaciones de catástrofe. Para ello se ha establecido un análisis de la práctica normativa e institucional existente. Este trabajo trata de dar respuesta a algunos de los interrogantes en torno a las catástrofes tales como su definición, qué normas existen en la materia, así como su efectividad. Junto con el análisis normativo se estudian los desarrollos institucionales en la materia centrada en Naciones Unidas (en el ámbito universal) y en la Unión Europea (en el regional).

Optimization of relief networks in humanitarian logistics often exemplifies the need for solutions that are feasible given a hard constraint on time. For instance, the distribution of medical countermeasures immediately following a biological disaster event must be completed within a short time-frame. When these supplies are not distributed within the maximum time allowed, the severity of the disaster is quickly exacerbated. Therefore emergency response plans that fail to facilitate the transportation of these supplies in the time allowed are simply not acceptable. As a result, all optimization solutions that fail to satisfy this criterion would be deemed infeasible. This creates a conflict with the priority optimization objective in most variants of the generic vehicle routing problem (VRP). Instead of efficiently maximizing usage of vehicle resources available to construct a feasible solution, these variants ordinarily prioritize the construction of a minimum cost set of vehicle routes. Research presented in this dissertation focuses on the design and analysis of efficient computational methods for optimizing high-consequence variants of the VRP for relief networks. The conflict between prioritizing the minimization of the number of vehicles required or the minimization of total travel time is demonstrated. The optimization of the time and capacity constraints in the context of minimizing the required vehicles are independently examined. An efficient meta-heuristic algorithm based on a continuous spatial partitioning scheme is presented for constructing a minimized set of vehicle routes in practical instances of the VRP that include critically high-cost penalties. Multiple optimization priority strategies that extend this algorithm are examined and compared in a large-scale bio-emergency case study. The algorithms designed from this research are implemented and integrated into an existing computational framework that is currently used by public health officials. These computational tools enhance an emergency response planner's ability to derive a set of vehicle routes specifically optimized for the delivery of resources to dispensing facilities in the event of a bio-emergency.

There is always competition between regions when it comes to their needs after facing a conflict, disaster, or long-term crisis. Donors allocating ODA or Humanitarian Assistance must decide to whom they want to allocate their support. While the literature broadly identifies the motivation for sending allocation to specific recipients and not to others, it has not yet researched the processes of the opposite, the reduction or break-off of aid allocation. This thesis researches the topic at the level of Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA). The question focuses on donors of bilateral HMA allocation and their motives of decision-making, when under financial pressure and forced to shorten their overall HMA budget. Using a most-different in-depth case study based on two steps on the cases of Australia and Germany, the question is researched, if the donors base their decisions and priorities on the needs of people when they have to reduce HMA budgets. The findings show that HMA rarely is documented separately and mostly connected either with ODA or Humanitarian Assistance. To get clear answers about the thoughts and motivations of decision-makers when it comes to the reduction or cut of HMA allocation, deeper research including interviews is needed.

The study is about how to work with and create community structures for effective and sustainable social reintegration of Children Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups (CAAFAG), also called child soldiers in Liberia. It analyses the community structures which were engaged in the Disarmament, Demobilisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration processes and questions whether these were premised on community values and norms. The study challenges some of the existing practices of working with community structures in reintegration programmes. The Structural-functionalist perspective is used as theoretical framework of the study based on the notion that social events, like DDRR programmes can best be explained in terms of the functions they perform or the contributions they make towards stability and continuity of societies where child soldiers are to be reintegrated. The study adopts a qualitative methodology to investigate community structures to reintegrate child soldiers in an effective, sustainable way. Different related research techniques, or triangulation, are used referring to a combination of mainly qualitative methods of data collection and analyses. Focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and documentary sources have different complementary strengths which are more comprehensive when used together. The findings indicated that children of all ages were “recruited” by armed groups and forces for diverse reasons. The findings confirmed children going through difficult experiences as they participated and supervised over violence. The war disoriented children‟s socialization processes. In some situations they returned to dysfunctional communities, without adequate support systems. The humanitarian led community approaches delivered results, however, these were short-lived. The engagement of the community structures was not based on clear community analysis. The intended manifest functions of the DDRR programmes and reintegration objectives for sustainability were eventually dysfunctional in most cases. The study‟s major recommendation is that a careful analysis of existing community structures, identification and engagement of positive community networks be made and that comprehensive capacity building programmes, built on societal values and norms nested within a National Planning Policy framework, will deliver durable and sustainable social reintegration of child soldiers in Liberia. / Sociology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Sociology)