Humanitarian aid and local power structures: lessons from Haiti's ‘shadow disaster’ |
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Authors: | Kaiting Jessica Hsu Mark Schuller |
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Institution: | 1. Independent Researcher, Haiti;2. Associate Professor of Anthropology and Nonprofit and NGO Studies, Northern Illinois University, United States, and Professeur Invité, Faculté d'Ethologie, l'Université d'Etat d'Haïti, Haiti |
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Abstract: | This paper investigates the confluence of humanitarian aid, centralisation, and politics. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti on 12 January 2010 led to more than USD 16 billion in pledges. By contrast, Hurricane Matthew, which made landfall in Haiti on 4 October 2016, stayed in the shadows, attracting about one per cent of the amount. While the earthquake exhibited one face of centralisation, the Category 4 storm laid bare rural vulnerabilities shaped by postcolonial state neglect, and reinforced by the influx of non-governmental organisations in the ‘Republic of Port-au-Prince’. The study draws on data from four case studies in two departments to illuminate the legacies of hyper-centralisation in Haiti. Compounding matters, Matthew struck in the middle of an extended election that the international community attempted to control again. The paper argues that disaster assistance and politics are uncomfortably close, while reflecting on the momentary decentralisation of aid after the hurricane and its effectiveness. |
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Keywords: | aid decentralisation elections Haiti humanitarian aid Hurricane Matthew hurricanes non-governmental organisations (NGOs) politics |
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