HACT40020 Linking Localisation with Humanitarian Management

Academic Year 2022/2023

This module is an element of the third component (Thematic Specialisation - 30 ECTS credits) of the NOHA Joint Master’s Degree in International Humanitarian Action to be completed during the second semester. It forms a recognised part of the curriculum and is a requirement for obtaining the NOHA Master’s degree. It is also a core module on the UCD D062 -MSc in Humanitarian Action
This postgraduate module aims to provide participants with the competences to strengthen the ‘localisation’ of humanitarian response in a bid to ‘place disaster affected people at the centre of the humanitarian enterprise’. The module employs ‘educational triangulation’ to engage expertise from a range of humanitarian stakeholders: academia, policy and practice. It is designed as a blended module to cater for both masters students and experienced humanitarian practitioners who wish to avail of the opportunity for continuous professional development (CPD). This year the module will be restricted to masters students given the global COVID-19 pandemic and associated movement restrictions. The module provides a solid theoretical, conceptual, and operational grounding to strengthen the localisation of humanitarian interventions. Participants are supported to hone their knowledge and skills to critically reflect, analyse, as well as to interrogate concepts and strategies that support localisation.
This module was built around two field trips that will not be possible this academic year. The first of these trips brought module participants to meet with local communities and other stakeholders in Northern Ireland to analyse their experiences to (re)build communities in the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement. Secondly, there is usually a field visit to a number of INGO head offices to hear the views of key staff on the localisation agenda. This year students will engage with a more international range of stakeholders with real-world experience of localisation. Students are encouraged to build a new skill set to engage with a range of stakeholders who themselves have disparate constituencies while maintaining true to the principles of humanitarian action.
Topics covered include: key discourses underpinning emergent concepts in the area of localisation of humanitarian action (accountability/ agency/ capacity building/ trust/ engagement); analysis of the humanitarian system with a 'localisation' lens; the importance of context-specific knowledge for the principled delivery of humanitarian aid; leadership and risk taking; ethical and safe approaches to data collection and research.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

Following successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
• Locate the concept of ‘localisation’ in humanitarian discourse and describe the contextual factors that influence its application in humanitarian response;
Analyse the concept of ‘localisation’ to appraise its relevance in disparate humanitarian contexts and for diverse humanitarian interventions;
• Distinguish the ‘localisation’ challenges for the strategic management processes for a range of human actors;
• Critically analyse the localisation strategies for a range of humanitarian interventions and propose actions for their enhancement; and
• Develop a framework to appraise the ‘localisation strategy’ of a humanitarian organisation.

Indicative Module Content:

The four components and their constituent parts are outlined below:
•Understanding the Humanitarian System:
o Evolution in the humanitarian system – key milestones
o The humanitarian stakeholder mix and their characteristics – BBR
o The State of the Humanitarian System – issues and challenges
•Localisation – a conceptual analysis:
o Concept analysis methodology
o Localisation defined and its key attributes
o Establishing a localisation conceptual framework
•Localisation – governance and management:
o Respecting contextual differences
o Governing humanitarian action at different societal levels
o Localising humanitarian management – issues and challenges
•Operationalising localisation:
o Theory of Change and Logical Framework Analysis compared
o Analysis of localisation agenda for contemporary humanitarian interventions
o Localisation innovations at different societal levels – option for consideration

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

25
Seminar (or Webinar)

6
Conversation Class

20
Specified Learning Activities

68
Autonomous Student Learning

110
Online Learning

14
Total

243
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Educational triangulation best describes the teaching and learning approach employed in this module. This triangulation is evident in the module design, delivery and participant mix. The module is designed and the curriculum agreed by a Board that comprises representatives from key humanitarian stakeholders mandated to deal with humanitarian response. The curriculum builds on established guidelines, policies and practices, while serving to challenge contemporary thinking through the learning process. The module is delivered using a blended methodology. The online component borrows from established online programmes and brings scholars from a range of disciplines and geographic regions to share their philosophies, concepts and thinking. The face-to-face component brings together experts from across the stakeholder mix to engage with students, mostly by way of lecture, in the mornings and this is followed up in the afternoons with problem based exercises to support the learning. The third element of this 'educational triangulation' is the participant mix. The student-mix brings together humanitarian professionals and masters students to debate contemporary 'localisation' issues and strategies and to seek out new ways of working to meeting the ever growing global humanitarian challenges. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Class Test: At the end of the module, the students will take a short one hour test that encourages them to draw on their newly acquired competences to offer new insights to contemporary localisation issues. 1 hour End of Trimester Exam n/a Graded Yes

20
Assignment: Each student develops and applies a localisation framework to a humanitarian intervention of his/ her choice. Students are required to critically assess the strengthens and weaknesses of localisation Week 5 n/a Graded Yes

40
Group Project: Students will work in groups to analyse the localisation challenges for an International NGO. Week 6 n/a Graded No

30
Journal: Students will be expected to maintain a learning 'journal' to monitor learning over the course of the online component. This journal encourages students to adopt an analytical approach to learning Week 6 n/a Graded No

0
Seminar: This is a group assignment. Each group is requested to critically analyse an existing project and propose ways to strengthen the localisation of the project. Groups will be 'consultants' for an NGO. Week 6 n/a Graded Yes

10

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Students will received ongoing regular feedback as part of the learning process. • Journal feedback will be online to student individual accounts. • The group assignment on the NI field trip will be both peer reviewed and written feedback. The written feedback will be provided in advance of submission of the individual assignment on the NI project. • The portfolio project will be presented as a poster. it will be peer reviewed and written feedback will also be provided. • The consultant report that will be the product of the group assignment on an ongoing NGO projected will be evaluated by the module coordinator and the NGO will also be required to assess the quality of the students' work. • The end of module written test will be graded.

4. Course material
All lectures are available on Brightspace together with essential readings for each lecture. A list of background readings and educational materials for each component of the module are provided below for those students who wish to prepare for this module.
Understanding the Humanitarian System:
• ALNAP (2018), The State of the Humanitarian System: Summary, ALNAP/ ODI
• ALNAP (2021), The State of the Humanitarian System, inception report, https://www.alnap.org/help-library/the-state-of-the-humanitarian-system-fifth-edition-accessed 19/1/2021
• IASC (2020), About the Grand Bargain, https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/about-the-grand-bargain, assessed 19/1/2021
• Charter4Change
• Wall, I, & K. Hedlund 2016: Localisation and Locally led Crisis Response. A literature review. Local to Global Protection & Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation https://www.local2global.info/research/global/localisation-and-locally-led-crisis-response
Localisation – a conceptual analysis:
• Nuopponen, A, (2010), Methods of Concept Analysis – a comparative study, LSP Journal, Vol.1, No.1 / http://lsp.cbs.dk
• Brabelet, V (2018), As local as possible as international as necessary: understanding capacity and complementarity in humanitarian action, Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI, London
• Monique Hennink , Ndunge Kiiti , Mara Pillinger & Ravi Jayakaran (2012) Defining empowerment: perspectives from international development organisations, Development in Practice, 22:2, 202-215, DOI: 10.1080/09614524.2012.640987
• Caroline Harper, ODI, Keiko Nowacka, OECD, Hanna Alder, ODI; Gaëlle Ferrant, OECD (2014) Measuring women’s empowerment and social transformation in the post-2015 agenda, ODI, London
• Tan, A. and von Schreeb, J. (2015), Humanitarian Assistance and Accountability: What are we really talking about?' Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 30(3), pp. 264-270
• Max Stephenson, Jr, (2005) Making humanitarian relief networks more effective: operational coordination, trust and sense making, Disasters, 29(4): 337−350. Overseas Development Institute, London
• Brown, D., Donini, A. and Knox Clarke, P. (2014) Engagement of crisis-affected people in humanitarian action, ALNAP’s 29th Annual Meeting, 11 – 12 March 2014, Addis Ababa, London: ALNAP/ODI
• IASC 2018: Definitions Paper. Humanitarian Financing Task Team. Localisation marker Working Group - https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/system/files/hftt_localisation_marker_definition s_paper_24_january_2018.pdf.
Localisation – governance and management:
• Sjoerd Beugelsdijk and Chris Welzel (2018) Dimensions and Dynamics of National Culture: Synthesizing Hofstede With Inglehart, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 2018, Vol. 49(10) 1469 –1505 - https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022118798505
• Gerard Prinsen & Saskia Nijhof (2015) Between logframes and theory of change: reviewing debates and a practical experience, Development in Practice, 25:2, 234-246, DOI: 10.1080/09614524.2015.1003532.
• Palladan, A and Adamu, A. (2018). An Overview of Strategic Management Practices. Austin Journal of Business Administration and Management, 2(3), 1-4.
• Athapaththu, H. (2016). An Overview of Strategic Management: An analysis of the concepts and the importance of strategic management. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 6(2), 124-127.
• Tapera, J. (2014), The Importance of Strategic Management to Business Organisations. Research Journal of Social Sciences and Management, 3(11), 122-131.
• Gibbons, P.; Otieku-Boadu, C.; Dijkzeul D. 2nd edition (in press)Strategic Management in Humanitarian Action: an introduction in International Humanitarian Action NOHA Textbook, Springer, Gewerbestrasse, Switzerland


Operationalising localisation:
• Bennett, C. 2016: Time to Let Go. Remaking humanitarian action for the modern era. London, ODI, Humanitarian Policy Group https://www.odi.org/publications/10381-time-let-go-remaking-humanitarian-actionmodern-era.
• Accelerating Localisation through Partnerships October 2019: Pathways to Localisation: A framework towards locally led humanitarian response in partnership-based action. C. Schmalenbach with Christian Aid, CARE, Tearfund, ActionAid, CAFOD, Oxfam https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Pathways%20to%20Localisation_re .
• Els, C. 2017 (?): On the Road to 2020. Grand Bargain commitment to support national and local responders. Dublin, Tròcaire https://www.trocaire.org/sites/default/files/resources/policy/on-the-road-to-2020- localisation-the-grand-bargain.pdf.
Students MUST register and complete the online course – Building a Better Response (https://www.buildingabetterresponse.org/login/index.php) - to reflect on the International Humanitarian System and to consider the challenges to coordinate this disparate grouping in delivering principled humanitarian action.
Name Role
Professor Oonagh Breen Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Cyril Otieku-Boadu Lecturer / Co-Lecturer