The impact of international aid is debated in the scholarly literature. One of the theoretical frameworks used to study aid is developed in the Gift [1925] by Marcel Mauss. However, overall there is a lack of knowledge concerning the understanding of Mauss, and how it can be connected to the distribution of aid. Thus, this thesis takes its theoretical departure fromMauss’s gift exchange, and the obligation to give, receive and reciprocate to study how articles examine post-tsunami aid through the theory developed in “The Gift” by Mauss. The study is a qualitative reanalysis of three articles, which is structured by a series of analytical questions based on a broader reading of Mauss, previous research and the gift of disaster aid.The qualitative reanalysis finds that Mauss’ obligations to give, receive and reciprocate and the social bonds that these forms were discussed differently, and to a greater or lesser extent. This study brings “The Gift” by Mauss into light to the discussion of disaster aid, and thus highlighting new potential research for future studies.

The aim of this diploma thesis was to analyze an influence of most important humanitarian actors and evaluate their cooperation and efficiency. The task of this thesis was too to show that humanitarian and development aid doesn't have to bring expectable results every time. Low effectiveness of humanitarian activities isn't only the consequence of an insufficient coordination of humanitarian organizations, but it particularly caused by features of a given country, its institutions, its rules and non-existing democracy. On the basis of this knowledge, the analysis of humanitarian aid in Haiti was conducted in this work, which became known to the public all over the world due to a devastating earthquake in January 2010, in spite of the fact that its economic situation has been for very poor for a long time before. The thesis also points on some mistakes of humanitarian organizations in the most important sectors and suggests its solution. I see the solution in a shift from a short-term and passive aid to the long-term and actively-received aid.

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Cette thèse se compose de trois essais sur l’éducation et la cohésion sociale dans les pays en développement, et plus particulièrement en Égypte et en Indonésie. Le premier chapitre analyse les comportements des ménages en Égypte, notamment l’investissement pour l’éducation et la santé, suite à la révolution de 2011, que nous interprétons ici comme un environnement instable. Pour étudier les effets du déclenchement de la révolution Égyptienne, nous combinons l’enquête représentative des ménages avec un enregistrement statistique unique de toutes les personnes arrêtées, blessées ou tuées lors des manifestations politiques dans le pays. Nos résultats montrent que les ménages adaptent considérablement leur comportement dans un contexte politique instable. Le deuxième chapitre analyse les conséquences des tremblements de terre sur l’éducation et les mesures de santé des enfants en Indonésie. Nous constatons que les résultats en matière d’éducation et de santé des enfants sont négativement affectées lorsqu’un ménage subit un tremblement de terre, avec une certaine hétérogénéité selon l’âge et le sexe de l’enfant. Le troisième chapitre analyse les effets du favoritisme ethnique dans l’attribution des transferts gouvernementaux aux ménages suite à une catastrophe naturelle Les résultats suggèrent que bien que tous les ménages d’un même village soient affectées, les ménages les plus susceptibles de recevoir des transferts gouvernementaux sont ceux qui partagent la même origine ethnique que le leader de la communauté. Mes conclusions démontrent également que dans les villages ou le favoritisme ethnique est répandu, la confiance entre groupes ethniques s’est réduite entre 2007 et 2014. / This thesis is a collection of three independent essays in empirical development economics, with a particular focus on the study of mechanisms that impact education and social cohesion in Egypt and Indonesia. The first chapter analyses the effects of the Egyptian Revolution on education and health spendings as well as savings. We construct a new measure of revolution intensity and match a representative household panel survey data with a unique statistical record that documents the number of arrested, injured and deaths during the uprisings in Egypt. We find that households significantly adapt their behaviour in a politically unstable environment. The second chapter analyses the short and long-term effects of earthquakes on children’s education and health outcomes. Findings rely on individual-level panel data from large-scale household surveys combined with precise measures of local ground tremors obtained from a US Geological Survey database. Results suggest that children’s education and health out-comes decrease with some heterogeneity by age and gender. The third chapter identifies ethnic favouritism in the distribution of post-disaster aid at household level in the context of Indonesia. Results show that co-ethnic households are more likely to receive post-disaster relief transfers than households that were equally affected by a natural disaster, but do not share the same ethnicity as the community leader. Results also suggest that ethnic favouritism significantly reduces social cohesion measured by trust in affected communities.Keywords: Education; Health; Cognitive skills; Critical age; Post-disaster aid; Household savings; Trust; Natural disaster; Political instability; Ethnic diversity; Ethnic favouritism; Egypt; Indonesia.