Project
The humanitarian consequences of urbanization for the Red Cross: Challenges and opportunities in Asia’s fast growing cities
This PhD research looks into the considerations of the Red Cross for (dis)engagement in situations of urban poverty, vulnerability and marginalisation in Asia. The scale and dynamics of urban poverty and vulnerability, and the changing geo-political and –economic landscape in which the Red Cross operates, impact on its structure and agency: it challenges its strategic orientation and its operational opportunities and limitations.
The research explores the properties of urban humanitarian crisis and the dilemmas, responses and organizational relations of the Red Cross in 4 major Asian cities: Jakarta (Indonesia), Manila (the Philippines) as cities in stable state-environments, and Kabul (Afghanistan) and Karachi (Pakistan) as cities in fragile state environments. One of the assumptions of the research is that it makes no difference for urban poor dwellers whether they live in a functioning state or in a so-called fragile state.