Chapter 3 Methodology and limitations. 3.1 Research focus The principal concern of this study is to assess the validity of the argument that the delivery of humanitarian aid by major international humanitarian non-governmental organizations is increasingly being a risky business with policy makers, aid agencies and scholars lamenting about the risk involved with the delivery of this aid. This thesis will look at the different arguments by different scholars on the cause of these attacks and the ways these organizations have been responding to this challenge. This project is in the field of international relations and international political economy and this chapter is focused on the presentation of the methodological procedure of our work. 3.2 Overview and case study The security development nexus and the securitization of humanitarian aid suggest a variety of implications on the delivery humanitarian aid. While these broader issues have been raised in literature by a variety of security and development scholars (Duffield 2001), many critics have identified a gap between theoretical arguments and empirical evidence (Fast 2007). This research is designed to address this gap by examining what motivates the securitization process from the perspective of humanitarian organizations, how the process of securitization is undertaken and the impacts of this securitization process on the delivery of aid. It will go further to uncover the nature and impacts of the securitization process in humanitarian aid which will help outline some of the concerns stated in the literature that relates development and security. This research project is focused on a case study of the Darfur region which has seen violent conflict for over a decade.
Chapter 3 Methodology and limitations. 3.1 Research focus The principal concern of this study is to assess the validity of the argument that the delivery of humanitarian aid by major international humanitarian non-governmental organizations is increasingly being a risky business with policy makers, aid agencies and scholars lamenting about the risk involved with the delivery of this aid. This thesis will look at the different arguments by different scholars on the cause of these attacks and the ways these organizations have been responding to this challenge. This project is in the field of international relations and international political economy and this chapter is focused on the presentation of the methodological procedure of our work. 3.2 Overview and case study The security development nexus and the securitization of humanitarian aid suggest a variety of implications on the delivery humanitarian aid. While these broader issues have been raised in literature by a variety of security and development scholars (Duffield 2001), many critics have identified a gap between theoretical arguments and empirical evidence (Fast 2007). This research is designed to address this gap by examining what motivates the securitization process from the perspective of humanitarian organizations, how the process of securitization is undertaken and the impacts of this securitization process on the delivery of aid. It will go further to uncover the nature and impacts of the securitization process in humanitarian aid which will help outline some of the concerns stated in the literature that relates development and security. This research project is focused on a case study of the Darfur region which has seen violent conflict for over a decade.