Paper details

Paper authors	Eric Martin
In panel on	Volunteer Humanitarians in Europe: their Role, Significance and Potential Implications for the Humanitarian Sector
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

Eric Martin (Bucknell University, Pennsylvania, USA) and Isabella Nolte (Queens University, Belfast, Northern Ireland)

Flows of refugees and asylum-seekers reached record levels in Europe from 2015 to 2017. Public and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) typically respond first in such political and social humanitarian crises. Humanitarian, disaster or crisis research infrequently addresses partnerships with informally organized volunteers, and rarely addresses such activities in industrialized countries with transboundary consequences.

Our focus is on relationships between formal INGOs and informal volunteers in humanitarian aid during the European Refugee Crisis. We formulate three main research questions about this unique case. What motivated volunteers to respond to this particular refugee response? How did INGOs and volunteers perceive each other with respect to this crisis? And what role did government play in INGO and volunteer relationships?

Results show that actors’ perceptions of each other limited partnering. Governmental action and policy changes at different stages of the response also influenced INGO-volunteer relationships. Volunteers were perceived by INGOs as helpful, flexible and quick in responding to urgent needs, but unaccountable. Over time, some INGOs determined the risks posed by volunteers working with vulnerable populations outweighed benefits.

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