Dangerous intervention: an analysis of humanitarian fatalities in assistance contexts

 
 
 
 

Dangerous intervention: an analysis of humanitarian fatalities in assistance contexts

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dc.contributor.advisor Jenkins, J. Craig en_US
dc.contributor.author Abbott, Marianne en_US
dc.date.accessioned 2008-07-07T19:20:29Z
dc.date.available 2008-07-07T19:20:29Z
dc.date.created 2006 en_US
dc.date.issued 2008-07-07T19:20:29Z
dc.identifier.uri http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1134419987 en_US
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2374.OX/7527
dc.description Humanitarian aid agencies are challenged by a tragic aspect of their missions – fatal attacks on assistance providers. Since the early 1990s, fatal attacks leveled at aid personnel have included a broad range of events and a large number of incidents, spanning from random violence to premeditated murder. To describe these events in the most comprehensive terms possible, I have constructed of a database of news-reported aid worker fatalities from 1991 to 2004 that identifies 1,102 deaths, almost 1,000 of which result from violent attacks. The data source validation component of this research consists of intra- and extra-source validity evaluations. While no available source of information will capture all fatality incidents, results from the intra-source analysis indicate that the coverage of humanitarian deaths provided by the news is consistent among news outlets. Results from the extra-source analysis indicate larger disparities are related to the comprehensiveness of incident coverage. In sum, these evaluations confirm that all data sources are selective, but in predictable ways. The key to this evaluation was the detection of these filters. In the descriptive section, the news dataset presents the following broad trends: (1) Insurgent actors perpetrate violent attacks on humanitarian personnel with the highest frequencies; (2) Violent attacks account for 87 percent of the humanitarian assistance deaths; (3) Fatalities are highest among international governmental organization (IGO) personnel; and (4) Fatality counts are highest in Africa. I additionally refine variables that identify the nature of these attacks, the agents involved, and the intentions behind these attacks. Implications of this research relate both to the use of events data as well as to the critical issue of humanitarian security. Analyses overwhelmingly support the assertion that news data are a valid and rich source of information. Further, results from the intentionality study suggest that news data may provide more than “who did what to whom, when and where” information. At least in the case of humanitarian fatalities, it is possible to extract “why” information from news sources by assessing details that may appear in a news report. en_US
dc.format application/pdf en_US
dc.format 213p. en_US
dc.rights unrestricted en_US
dc.rights Copyright and permissions information available at the source archive en_US
dc.subject humanitarian death en_US
dc.subject humanitarian fatalities en_US
dc.subject intentionality en_US
dc.subject aid worker en_US
dc.subject aid worker death en_US
dc.subject aid worker fatalities en_US
dc.title Dangerous intervention: an analysis of humanitarian fatalities in assistance contexts en_US
dc.type Electronic Thesis or Dissertation en_US
dc.degree.name PhD en_US
dc.degree.level doctoral en_US
dc.degree.discipline Sociology en_US
dc.degree.grantor Ohio State University en_US
dc.contributor.publisher Ohio State University / OhioLINK en_US

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