Enigmatic Consequences of Security and Development Aid

This research contemplates the influence of donors' security concerns on humanitarian aid and development. The phenomenon has been referred in the literature with various titles including securitization of aid, politics of aid, security-aid nexus and securitizing human development. While the extant literature delves into the impact and influence of securitization of aid on humanitarian development and its undermining effects on voluntary sector; this study explores the phenomenon from the perspective of the aid recipients with the assumption that the recipients' outlook and beliefs regarding the donors' intentions and motives influence the effectiveness of the humanitarian aid. The study contributes towards the development literature by identifying the factors shaping the perception of the aid recipients about donors and NGOs. The factors, thus explored, are going to facilitate the work of the humanitarian aid agencies in a politically hostile or conflict riddled societies and may also prove beneficial for policy makers. The data depicts that the culture and institutions of the region plays an important role in shaping the recipients' perceptions of donors and NGOs and that if due consideration is given to these elements it may help rebuilding societal trust on humanitarian efforts. This study employs Bourdieu's theorization of capital and its role in determining power within the society. The premise is that actors can use the capital possessed by them for acquiring other types of capital possessed by other actors in the field and thus can improve their position within the field. Thus, the economic capital of the donors can be utilized to earn social capital and cultural capital possessed by local NGOs.