MSc Plus MPhil/PhD International Development (project title: Building inter-communal trust through faith partnerships for aid delivery)
Lead Research Organisation:
School of Oriental and African Studies
Department Name: Development Studies
Abstract
MSc Plus MPhil/PhD International Development (project title: Building inter-communal trust through faith partnerships for aid delivery)
The localization of aid is a central issue being debated within the humanitarian community, and it was one of the main themes at the May 2016 World Humanitarian Summit. While donors and members of the wider humanitarian community have stated that they want to engage with faith networks, many have also observed that they do not know how to best do so. Donors, multilateral agencies and large INGOs want to understand better what modalities of engagement are working in the field and what mechanisms exist for engagement at scale.
A number of potential advantages of grassroots faith-based humanitarian response have been identified in recent literature. Because they are already established in affected communities at the outset of a crisis and have strong local relationships, local faith communities (LFCs) are often able to mobilize an assistance program quickly, demonstrating a deep cultural awareness and integrating a spiritual dimension into their provision of aid. LFCs may have access to funding streams other than the institutional donors on which many other humanitarian actors depend, and those funds are often extremely flexible, which helps them to act quickly and in keeping with the priorities they identify rather than priorities which may have been set by a donor in another continent who is unfamiliar with the context.
This research project will help understand the interplay between partnership with Local Faith Communities (LFCs) and in particular local faith leaders as well as with other faith-based organizations, and interfaith engagement that can contribute to social cohesion in complex conflict and post-conflict settings. The intersection between humanitarian aid, social cohesion and long-term development will also be explored in this context. This research will contribute to a wider understanding of approaches to localization, as well as the role of faith communities in supporting trust-building in complex social dynamics. In particular, the research will explore:
- How can local partnerships with faith actors of different religious traditions, in the context of humanitarian crises, contribute to social cohesion as a foundation for development?
- What role are local faith actors playing in responding to humanitarian crises? How do faith actors operate, and what constraints and opportunities are unique to local faith-based actors?
- In multi-faith communities, how do faith actors contribute to the building (or undermining) of communal trust during periods of crisis? What can they and can they not do, and under what circumstances?
- How can partnerships with local faith actors across different religious traditions contribute to social cohesion during humanitarian crises, and how best can INGOs support such processes?
The research will be focused on one or two countries as a case study for the research. The locations will be in countries listed on OECD list of Fragile States, and places with significant populations of at least more than one religious community. The exact sites will be selected jointly by World Vision, SOAS and the researcher during the first year of the PhD process.
The localization of aid is a central issue being debated within the humanitarian community, and it was one of the main themes at the May 2016 World Humanitarian Summit. While donors and members of the wider humanitarian community have stated that they want to engage with faith networks, many have also observed that they do not know how to best do so. Donors, multilateral agencies and large INGOs want to understand better what modalities of engagement are working in the field and what mechanisms exist for engagement at scale.
A number of potential advantages of grassroots faith-based humanitarian response have been identified in recent literature. Because they are already established in affected communities at the outset of a crisis and have strong local relationships, local faith communities (LFCs) are often able to mobilize an assistance program quickly, demonstrating a deep cultural awareness and integrating a spiritual dimension into their provision of aid. LFCs may have access to funding streams other than the institutional donors on which many other humanitarian actors depend, and those funds are often extremely flexible, which helps them to act quickly and in keeping with the priorities they identify rather than priorities which may have been set by a donor in another continent who is unfamiliar with the context.
This research project will help understand the interplay between partnership with Local Faith Communities (LFCs) and in particular local faith leaders as well as with other faith-based organizations, and interfaith engagement that can contribute to social cohesion in complex conflict and post-conflict settings. The intersection between humanitarian aid, social cohesion and long-term development will also be explored in this context. This research will contribute to a wider understanding of approaches to localization, as well as the role of faith communities in supporting trust-building in complex social dynamics. In particular, the research will explore:
- How can local partnerships with faith actors of different religious traditions, in the context of humanitarian crises, contribute to social cohesion as a foundation for development?
- What role are local faith actors playing in responding to humanitarian crises? How do faith actors operate, and what constraints and opportunities are unique to local faith-based actors?
- In multi-faith communities, how do faith actors contribute to the building (or undermining) of communal trust during periods of crisis? What can they and can they not do, and under what circumstances?
- How can partnerships with local faith actors across different religious traditions contribute to social cohesion during humanitarian crises, and how best can INGOs support such processes?
The research will be focused on one or two countries as a case study for the research. The locations will be in countries listed on OECD list of Fragile States, and places with significant populations of at least more than one religious community. The exact sites will be selected jointly by World Vision, SOAS and the researcher during the first year of the PhD process.
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES/P000592/1 | 01/10/2017 | 30/09/2027 | |||
| 2025166 | Studentship | ES/P000592/1 | 01/10/2017 | 30/09/2021 | Ellen GOODWIN |
| Description | Collaborating with World Vision UK |
| Organisation | World Vision UK |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | As part of the collaboration between myself and World Vision UK, I have done some research in the form of a case study, related to, but separate from, my PhD research. This case study of the work of World Vision Central African Republic contributed to a project being undertaken by World Vision UK on the role of Faith and Development. I helped devise the research questions, carried out Key Informant Interviews with staff members and wrote a report based on my findings. The case study was shared as part of the wider project across the organisations that make up World Vision International and with donors. |
| Collaborator Contribution | World Vision UK have supported me in a number of ways. They organised and financed my participation in a Hostile Environments Awareness Training (HEAT) program ahead of fieldwork. They have facilitated contact between myself and World Vision Ethiopia who I will be collaborating with in the future for my fieldwork. There is also the promise of further support as my fieldwork for the award has been suspended due to the Coronavirus outbreak. |
| Impact | - Case study of the role of Faith and Development in the work of World Vision Central African Republic |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Blog Post for Refugee Hosts Project based at UCL |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I wrote the blog, which went through a peer review, to be published by the Refugee Hosts Project. The Refugee Hosts Project is an AHRC-ESRC funded PaCCS project supported through the UK's Global Challenges Research Fund, aims to improve our understanding of the challenges and opportunities that arise in local responses to displacement, both for refugees from Syria and for the members of the communities that are hosting them in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. Through interdisciplinary and participatory research in and with 9 local communities in the Middle East, this project fills a major evidence gap about the roles played by local communities - including those that explicitly or implicitly identify with and are motivated by faith - in supporting, and/or undermining, people affected by conflict and displacement: refugees and hosts alike. The Refugee Hosts project aims to engage with new research, emerging insights from practitioners, and interventions by artists, writers and creatives as part of our research. To this end, we have created an online Community of Conversation, made up of a diverse range of project contributors, which you can participate in by making a submission to our blog. My blog contributed to the Faith and Displacement series and was on the role that religion plays in Mental Health and Psycho social Support. It was widely shared on social media. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://refugeehosts.org/2019/03/15/engaging-with-religion-at-the-local-level-for-mental-health-and-... |
| Description | Blog Post for the Religion and Global Society blog at LSE |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I wrote a blog post, directly relating to my PhD project and its research methodology, called A New Way of Working: Introducing the World of Religious Studies to Humanitarianism. The LSE Religion and Global Society interdisciplinary blog seeks to explore the place and role of religion in our globalised world. Posts on this blog demonstrate the numerous ways in which an understanding and awareness of religion is of practical and scholarly benefit, as well as the ways in which religion can either inspire or hinder positive change. The Religion and Global Society blog is a platform for academics and other expert commentators to share their insights on this complex, wide-reaching topic. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglobalsociety/2019/07/a-new-way-of-working-introducing-the-world-of-... |
| Description | I was asked to review a new book in my research area for the Religion and Global Society blog |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I was approached by the LSE blog Religion and Global Society and the author of the book Dr Wilkinson, to write a review, based on my own research, of the book Secular and Religious Dynamics in Humanitarian Response. I was sent a copy of the book and I wrote a blog post for the review. I was asked to write this after writing previously for the blog. On both occasions I have had people contact me after to ask for more information. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglobalsociety/2020/03/book-review-secular-and-religious-dynamics-in-... |
| Description | Responded to a presentation during the Joint Learning Initiative for Local and Faith Communities Humanitarian reading group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I was asked by Dr Olivia Wilkinson to respond to her presentation of her new book. I was encouraged to respond through the lense of my own project, to help bring it to a wider audience. The JLIFC Humanitarian Reading Group is an academic working group, that also includes people from a range of sectors related to humanitarian studies and practice. It takes place monthly, online, because there are representatives from all over the world who participate. I spoke for about 20 mins. I was also encouraged to make this an opportunity to reach out to practitioners whose perspectives would be useful in my own research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://jliflc.com/2020/02/first-academic-reading-group-webinar-secular-and-religious-dynamics-in-hu... |