The labour of localisation: national NGOs and the nature of work in South Sudan’s humanitarian arena

Robinson, Alice Miranda (2024) The labour of localisation: national NGOs and the nature of work in South Sudan’s humanitarian arena. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

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Abstract

This thesis examines the drivers behind and dynamics within South Sudan’s ‘NGO boom’, and the growing role of South Sudanese NGOs in the international humanitarian system. It also explores labour dynamics and experiences of work in the humanitarian arena in South Sudan, with a particular focus on the lived experiences and life histories of those running and working for South Sudanese NGOs. The study draws on ethnographic research, including in-depth life-work history interviews with the founders, directors, staff, volunteers and former staff of a wide range of South Sudanese NGOs. It traces people’s journeys into and through the aid industry, exploring how and why people come to found and work for South Sudanese NGOs, their personal and professional histories and aspirations, and their experiences of working for and moving between national and international organisations and institutions. It sheds light on people’s perceptions of organisational cultures, and of the potential for change in different spheres and spaces. It also examines the persistent inequalities and hierarchies in the international humanitarian system, as well as how people navigate these, and considers how NGO leaders and staff reflect on and grapple with the opportunities, tensions and constraints of their work. The thesis argues for greater attention to the labour of aid, including the ways in which international agencies’ approaches to working with and contracting domestic NGOs shape experiences and conditions of work within these organisations. It contributes to efforts to examine aid work as a form of work, and to understand working lives and conditions in the humanitarian sector. It speaks to recent debates on ‘local labour’ in the humanitarian industry, which have focused predominantly on the experiences of national staff within international organisations, rather than on the staff of domestic NGOs. It examines the interplay of precarity and privilege in this work, including the everyday uncertainties related to short-term, intermittent contracts and unpredictable salaries, and the pressure to stay employed in an increasingly competitive labour market. It also considers how NGOs and NGO employment relate to broader social and economic inequalities, and to shifting class dynamics, in South Sudan’s changing political economy. Finally, the thesis responds to calls for greater critical reflection on and academic scrutiny of the ‘localisation agenda’, including grounded empirical studies of how localisation is interpreted, contested, and plays out in practice in specific contexts. It seeks to historicise and contextualise 4 debates around localisation by tracing the history of ideas and initiatives intended to ‘localise’ aid across many decades of international humanitarian intervention in the region. It also examines the effects of the contemporary localisation agenda on the politics and practice of humanitarian action in South Sudan, and on power dynamics in the aid sector. The conclusion highlights implications for humanitarian policy and practice, and suggests recommendations for a deeper, more transformative approach to supporting locally led aid in South Sudan.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Additional Information:	© 2024 Alice Miranda Robinson
Library of Congress subject classification:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) J Political Science > JZ International relations
Sets:	Departments > International Development
Supervisor:	Allen, Tim and Pendle, Naomi
URI:	http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/4758

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