MSc Plus MPhil/PhD International Development (project title: Building inter-communal trust through faith partnerships for aid delivery)

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MSc Plus MPhil/PhD International Development (project title: Building inter-communal trust through faith partnerships for aid delivery)The localization of aid is a central issue being debated within the humanitarian community, and it was one of the main themes at the May 2016 World Humanitarian Summit. While donors and members of the wider humanitarian community have stated that they want to engage with faith networks, many have also observed that they do not know how to best do so. Donors, multilateral agencies and large INGOs want to understand better what modalities of engagement are working in the field and what mechanisms exist for engagement at scale.A number of potential advantages of grassroots faith-based humanitarian response have been identified in recent literature. Because they are already established in affected communities at the outset of a crisis and have strong local relationships, local faith communities (LFCs) are often able to mobilize an assistance program quickly, demonstrating a deep cultural awareness and integrating a spiritual dimension into their provision of aid. LFCs may have access to funding streams other than the institutional donors on which many other humanitarian actors depend, and those funds are often extremely flexible, which helps them to act quickly and in keeping with the priorities they identify rather than priorities which may have been set by a donor in another continent who is unfamiliar with the context. This research project will help understand the interplay between partnership with Local Faith Communities (LFCs) and in particular local faith leaders as well as with other faith-based organizations, and interfaith engagement that can contribute to social cohesion in complex conflict and post-conflict settings. The intersection between humanitarian aid, social cohesion and long-term development will also be explored in this context. This research will contribute to a wider understanding of approaches to localization, as well as the role of faith communities in supporting trust-building in complex social dynamics. In particular, the research will explore: - How can local partnerships with faith actors of different religious traditions, in the context of humanitarian crises, contribute to social cohesion as a foundation for development?- What role are local faith actors playing in responding to humanitarian crises? How do faith actors operate, and what constraints and opportunities are unique to local faith-based actors?- In multi-faith communities, how do faith actors contribute to the building (or undermining) of communal trust during periods of crisis? What can they and can they not do, and under what circumstances?- How can partnerships with local faith actors across different religious traditions contribute to social cohesion during humanitarian crises, and how best can INGOs support such processes?The research will be focused on one or two countries as a case study for the research. The locations will be in countries listed on OECD list of Fragile States, and places with significant populations of at least more than one religious community. The exact sites will be selected jointly by World Vision, SOAS and the researcher during the first year of the PhD process.