FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): This page is under continuous development, based on your frequently asked questions.
Who’s doing this? This research project is being carried out by two researchers: Dr. Thomas Arcaro, Professor of Sociology at Elon University, and 20+ aid industry veteran, blogger, and writer, “J.”
Why study humanitarian workers? The global humanitarian industry represents a workforce of some 300,000- 400,000 people, tasked with spending tens of billions of USD annually, for the purpose of making the world better. Yet these people are almost entirely un-studied. Understanding aid workers, of all origins, locations, and place in the industry is a necessary–critical, even–ingredient to making aid more effective.
What will be done with the results of this study? Will I be able to know what you find out? Yes! The results of this study will be made available for anyone and everyone who cares to know what we learn about humanitarian workers. At this stage we’re contemplating a number of options, depending on the quantity and quality of data we get back, possibly including presentations, book publications, and of course, further study.
Watch this space–the Aid Worker Voices blog–for continuous updates, including in-process findings, as well as announcements of what comes next and where to find more formalized publications of findings.
If I take the survey, is my anonymity guaranteed? Yes, absolutely. You are not asked for any personal identifying information at any point in the survey, nor are you asked to identify your employer by name. If you choose to self-identify in one of the spaces for open-ended answers, we will not publish that information.
Who can take this survey? We’re trying to gain the participation of anyone and everyone who is now, or who has in the past participated in any way in the global humanitarian industry. We want to hear from anyone who has ever worked for a NGO, INGO, or other charity, whether local or expat, regardless of your job or role.
The respondents you get are self-selected. Is this a ‘scientific’ study? We all know the drill: in the ideal world you identify a population and then secure a method by which you assure yourself of getting a stratified random sample of that population. What constitutes the population of humanitarian aid workers is, at best, an open question, and we embrace that fact by recognizing that ours is an exploratory study intended to begin the process of a more systematic research.
Who can contribute to these ‘mini-polls’ I see on the right side of the main page? Your research hosts will be posting new polls about every week as the results start to come in and new questions arise. That said, our goal is to hear-and to respond to- your voices so anyone who has taken the poll is invited to suggest a ‘mini-poll’. We will take it from there to make sure that it goes public.
Got another question? Leave it in the comments thread here.
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