Making humanitarian aid allocations fairer (impact case study)

Impact: Public policy Impacts

Description of impact

Dr Scott’s research reveals when and how media coverage shapes government’s humanitarian aid budgets. Specifically, his research shows that, in certain circumstances, sudden-onset national news coverage of humanitarian crises can increase levels of humanitarian aid. This has direct implications for charities, and UN agencies seeking to influence aid spending – helping them to identify how to produce more effective communications. It has, for example, influenced how the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) ‘targets and times’ its communications to ‘maximize the potential of influencing donor decisions’. Equally, it can also help governments to shield their aid budgets from unwelcome media influence by developing more robust aid allocation models.
Impact statusOpen
Impact date2021 → 2027
Category of impactPublic policy Impacts
Impact levelBenefit

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