About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

5 J. Refugee Stud. 205 (1992)
Counting the Refugees: Gifts, Givers, Patrons and Clients

handle is hein.journals/jrefst5 and id is 213 raw text is: Journal of Refugee Studies Vol. 5. No. 3/4 1992 Counting the Refugees: Gifts, Givers, Patrons and Clients* BARBARA HARRELL-BOND, EFTIHIA VOUTIRA and MARK LEOPOLD Refugee Studies Programme, Oxford University As long as the food and numbers balance, accountability is satisfied ... when the balance is disrupted, so is the security of the individual bureaucrat and the system as a whole (Waldron 1987). This paper examines the justifications, operational methods and results of the requirement to enumerate refugee populations prior to supplying food aid. The authors argue (1) that this practice is insufficient as a basis for assessing need, (2) that it leads to oppressive practices in refugee assistance, forming part of 'an ideology of control' within aid programmes, and (3) that it fails to provide the 'accountability' sought by donors. In addition, the paper questions the usual notion of 'fairness' in the distribution of welfare goods in such contexts, in the light of the anthropology of gifts, the nature of patronage systems and philosophical theories of obligation and accountability. Positive suggestions are made for ways to increase both accountability and 'client' participation in refugee food distribution systems. Introduction Refugees are a particular category of people who, because they have lost the protection of their own state, must rely on the willingness of others to observe humanitarian norms, some of which have been codified in international law. While in principle the state which offers asylum also assumes responsibility for the welfare of refugee populations, the extreme poverty of those states which host the majority of the world's refugees has resulted in the creation of an international relief system supported by donations of cash and commodities given by individuals and states in the richest parts of the world. This bureaucracy has been allotted (or, as in the case of the non-government agencies, has voluntarily assumed) the function of distributing these resources. However, humanitarian agencies have also been left with the responsiblity for raising the funds, that is, for launching appeals which will persuade individuals and governments to support the relief programmes they mount. Thus for the humanitarian regime, refugees have become both the means and the end. @ Oxford University Press 1992

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most