This paper has the primary objective of gaining a deeper understanding and insight into politicisation within the context of humanitarian aid. To achieve this goal, two research questions are formulated below. A third research question will be used to assess whether this paper has successfully met its objectives.
- How can the politicisation of humanitarian aid be defined and conceptualized?
- How can the politicisation of humanitarian aid be examined in practice?
- To what extent does the humanitarian policy of DG ECHO regarding Afghanistan indicate signs of politicisation?
The first question is addressed by synthesising the work of various authors. A general definition of the politicisation of humanitarian aid is developed and further refined by identifying and integrating the different actors and factors into a conceptual framework that highlights the causes, indicators, and consequences of politicisation. The second research question focuses on operationalizing the concept. A general step-by-step plan (analytical framework) is developed for researching the extent of politicisation in a donor's humanitarian policy and consists of two parts, each utilizing a combination of document and data analysis. On one hand, by comparing OCHA’s Humanitarian Needs Overviews with funding streams obtained from the EDRIS database, it examines which sectors receive funding and whether this aligns with the identified needs on the ground. On the other hand, using EDRIS, it investigates which partner organisations receive funding and analyses their adhere to humanitarian principles by reviewing their policy documents. Finally, the analytical framework to indicate politicisation will be applied to DG ECHO, the European Commission’s department for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, focusing on its humanitarian policy in Afghanistan between 2014-2020.
