COURSE: Accountability in Humanitarian Assistance
LEAD PROFESSOR
Jessica Alexander, MIA, MPH, PhD (c)
Email:
TIME AND LOCATION:Meets Friday 2/14 and Friday 2/21 from 9AM – 5PM at 25 W. 4th Street, Room C-13.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Historically, the standards by which international NGOs were held to account were based on donor scrutiny of financial statements and output oriented program results. Since the 2005 Asian tsunami and the findings from the Tsunami Evaluation Coalition report, accountability has been a topic that has garnered much attention within the humanitarian sector and more actors within the humanitarian sphere are insisting that NGOs and the UN also be held to account to the people they intend to serve. As DFID’s 2011 Humanitarian Policy has stated: “The people who are on the receiving end of our assistance are rarely, if ever, consulted on how best their needs can be met or able to choose who helps them and how... This has long been recognised as a problem, but little has been done about it.” In many disaster contexts, too few people know what they are entitled to receive, how to complain if they do not get it, and are unable actively and meaningfully to participate in the planning and delivery of assistance. A proliferation of codes, standards and frameworks have emerged to guide humanitarian responders in promoting greater accountability to beneficiaries. This trend has gained such momentum, that it is now essentially unquestioned as a driving concept or paradigm for humanitarian action.
This short course will explore the concept of accountability within humanitarian intervention. In particular it will look at the contemporary significance of accountabilityfor humanitarian response– when and why it has become an important concept for humanitarianintervention, and specific events that have led to a shift from donors to recipients of aid as the agents of accountability.
Key questions that will be explored include:
-To whom are humanitarian agencies accountable? What are the competing accountabilities and how do these influence program decisions and agency performance?
-Why is accountability to beneficiaries important during a humanitarian response? Aside from ideological views, why should the humanitarian sector be concerned with accountability to beneficiaries? What are its end goals?
-What does an effective accountability mechanism look like? How do agencies implement it?
-Do these work? In what contexts? How is their effectiveness being measured? By whom?
-Who are the main actors in this space? An examination of HAP, ALNAP, Listen First, ECB project, current NGO frameworks used in the field.
Through an exploration of case studies from the field (including 2005 South East Asian tsunami, Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar, Pakistan earthquake and flood response, Haiti earthquake, Japan tsunami) the course will address the above questions. Guest speakers will be brought in to discuss the issues with those who are grappling with the accountability debates in the field.
PREREQUISITES
None.
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The course is designed to introduce students to an emerging and fundamental way of working in humantiarian emergencies and fits with one of the primary goals of the Public Health competencies of examining responses from a social and behavioral sciences perspective.
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
•Describe the origins of the accountability debate and the historical events that have led to greater demand for accountability in humanitarian action;
•Identify various accountability mechanisms and techniques practiced by humanitarian actors in programming response to complex emergencies including: information sharing, participation, complaints handling;
•Explain the major accountability organizations in the humanitarian space and their functions and roles including: HAP, ALNAP, ECB Project, People in Aid, Sphere
•Analyze challenges and dilemmas frequently encountered when implementing accountability mechanisms
•Propose responses to these challenges in the contexts of humanitarian response
•Dissect the current methodologies and tools used to measure the outcomes of downward accountability.
ASSESSMENT AND GRADING POLICY
Students' conceptual understanding and practical knowledge will be assessed through responses to questions and in class exercises, participation in class, and a final paper.
Student grades will be based on:
Class Participation...... 30%
Group Presentation...... 40%
Final Paper ...... 30%
Class participation: Thirty percent of a student's grade will be based on participation in classroom discussions and exercises. Class attendance and contributions to class discussion and group exercises are mandatory.
Group Presentation: Throughout the course students will be expected to present in groups on a certain topic. This will be either developed during class or prepared as an outside assignment.
Final Paper: Students are asked to write a final paper addressing a critical issue in the accountability debate. Your paper should reflect the results of in depth research, and it should convey your own analysis and conclusions. The paper should be between 5-7 pages in length, including a proper bibliography (if needed). All pages should be numbered. Further guidelines will be distributed in class.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
•Students are expected to keep up with readings, attend each lecture and participate both in class and group work. The readings will be distributed before class either on line or printed and passed out.
•All assignments are to be submitted on time unless there is a documented compelling health or personal problem.
•Attendance is mandatory for the full duration of the class. As this is a condensed class students are expected to be present for all coursework.
COURSE STRUCTURE
Course concepts, skills, and field lessons are taught through lectures; guest presentations; examination of research findings and program evaluations; and, interactive case studies of accountability mechanisms. Students will be able to access required readings, case studies, and supplemental material electronically.
Before each class the day’s agenda will be distributed and discussed so that students know what to expect for that day.
THEMES TO BE COVERED
Introduction to Accountability within Humanitarian Response
Learning Objectives: Students will be able to recognize the competing accountabilities facing humanitarian practitioners and how these influence agency performance. Students will also be able to identify the multiple definitions of accountability.
History of Accountability debate.
Learning Objectives: Students will be able to describe the accountability debate from a historical perspective and identify the main actors within the accountability discourse.
Main components of Downward Accountability
Learning Objectives:Students will be able to differentiate between and describe the 3 most common mechanisms that NGOs have undertaken in order to increase accountability to beneficiaries and communities in their programs including: Information Sharing, Participation, Complaints/ Feedback Mechanisms.
HAP Certification
Learning Objectives: Students will be able to critically analyse the HAP standard and discuss the process of being HAP Certified and what this means in practice.
Accountability Frameworks
Learning Objectives:Students will be able to critique accountability log frames and analyse the current methodologies and tools used to measure the outcomes of greater accountability to beneficiaries and communities in which agencies work.
Outcomes of Downward Accountability Mechanisms
Learning Objectives:Analyze NGO perspectives on the achievements of better accountability to beneficiaries and communities.Also look at how agencies are using technology to improve accountability.
Looking to the Future
Learning Objectives:Explore the next steps that the industry needs to take to further integrate meaningful accountability into the field and the necessary research, programmatic changes, evidence and structural adjustments in the way we do business that need to occur to push the agenda forward.