Humanitarian NGO Security Networks and Organisational Learning

Identity Matters and Matters of Identity

Bibliographic Data

ID12249804
AuthorsAndrea Schneiker (0000-0001-7369-0063, corresponding author)
Year2013
Volume26
Issue1
Pages144-170
Publication date2013-08-13
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueVoluntas Revista Internacional de Filosofia (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2179-3786 • E-ISSN: 1573-7888
PublisherSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1007/s11266-013-9401-6
OpenAlexW1996177883
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited18

Since a few years, humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are faced with increased insecurity in regions where armed conflicts prevail, such as in Afghanistan, Somalia or Sudan. An analysis of the NGOs’ reaction to this development based on 23 semi-structured interviews reveals that identity matters and plays a crucial role. On the one hand, for reasons related to their identity, addressing this insecurity proves challenging for NGOs, which is why they tend to shy away from taking steps in this direction. On the other hand, identity can facilitate organisational learning and help overcome organisational barriers related to it. In this respect identity allows NGOs to join security networks and cooperate across NGO boundaries, while at the same time using it as an indicator to distinguish between who they can trust and who therefore is part of the network and who is not

Border Security · Collective identity · Face (sociological concept · Identity (music · Identity crisis · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · International Development and Aid · Law · Peacebuilding and International Security · Political Conflict and Governance · Public Administration

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