The Localization Agenda and its Effects on Humanitarian Operations : A Comparative Case Study of Haiti and Bangladesh

Sammanfattning: The aim of this thesis is to explore the localisation agenda in humanitarian aid put forward during the 2016 Grand Bargain. The thesis aims to prove that localisation remains a high level concept with little effective implementation in humanitarian contexts. The concepts of “the local”, decoloniality and localisation provide a theoretical framework for the analysis, while the theories of power and dependency are used to analyse the results of the research.  In order to show that localisation has not been highly effective at the local level, this thesis compares the contexts of Haiti and Bangladesh to the 2016 Grand Bargain commitments and the fifth annual report on the progress of the Grand Bargain. A comparative case study was conducted using desk research to analyse the available data on each Grand Bargain commitment. This research suggests that there has been mixed success in implementing the Grand Bargain commitments in Haiti and Bangladesh. Some commitments, such as increasing the use of cash and joint assessments, have been successful in both contexts, and are consistent with the reported progress by IASC. Several commitments, such as shifting power to affected communities and increasing funding to local and national humanitarian organizations, have seen little progress in either Haiti or Bangladesh. The findings are largely in line with the fifth annual report on the progress of the Grand Bargain commissioned by IASC. Despite this seeming progress on the Grand Bargain commitments, this thesis also explores how the international sphere — including INGOs and donors — have shaped the localisation agenda to be more palatable to the stakeholders who have to give up funding and power to empower local actors.