Resumen de "That is a long ride" a qualitative study on humanitarian coordination from a comprehensive approach
In 2023, the Global Humanitarian Overview (UNOCHA, 2023) highlights that 363.2 million people require humanitarian aid, with a financial need of up to $56 billion. Despite the escalation of conflict and the recurrent emergencies affecting 69 countries, there is a great funding gap of $23 trillion (UNOCHA, 2023). In parallel, criticism of multilateralism is increansingly present in literature (Nogueira, 2022). Amidst these challenges, though, aid organizations continue to grow by 10% with an estimated total of 5,146 aid organizations by 2020 (Humanitarian Outcomes, 2023). This large network of aid endeavors to engage in multiple operations within a setting with limited resources, where most are centralized by a small number of entities (ALNAP, 2022). Survival in this competitive environment hinges on reputation and effective coordination Despite the continued demand for humanitarian coordination, it remains a complex and conflicting organizational interaction that is challenging to approach and fully comprehend. Consequently, this research adopted a constructivist qualitative approach to explore the professional experiences of humanitarian workers with extensive international careers. The objective was to identify patterns and dynamics conducive to effective coordination. Drawing on theoretical concepts such as Community Coalitions Action Theory (Butterfoss et al., 1993) and the Interactive Systems Framework (ISF) (Wandersman et al., 2008), and supported by an extensive theoretical review, this study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of humanitarian coordination. Recognizing the interdisciplinary nature of humanitarian coordination, we argue that the application of theories and approaches from organizational and social-community psychology is deemed essential to grasp the nuances of humanitarian work at different levels. Although the use of these disciplines is not alien to humanitarian practice, we propose that the analysis of service coordination in these contexts can benefit from our theoretical and methodological proposals. We believe this interdisciplinary approach contributes to the functionality of humanitarian services and aids in overcoming collective action barriers. Through thematic analysis and causal loop diagraming (CLD) techniques, we have successfully mapped the personal and professional experiences of our target group, accounting for critical variables in humanitarian coordination. Thematic analysis has been employed to delve beyond the subjective surface, identifying coordination patterns and suggesting alternatives to ineffective actions or reinforcing proven effective practices. The construction of causal loop diagrams in modeling complex systems is grounded in the development of causal hypotheses. Our study's causal links, polarity, and integrated variables were informed by literature reviews and thematic analysis of expert interviews, enhancing the empirical support, hypothetical validity, and causality of our CLDs in simulated instances. The identified categories and themes from the thematic analysis were systematically integrated into a modeling software, presenting coordination drivers and issues as an interacting system explained through our bridged theoretical frameworks.
