Essay on Humanitarian and Development Studies: A Critical Analysis

This essay delves into the field of Humanitarian and Development Studies, examining the social problems currently faced, such as the lack of governmental initiative and the challenges posed by critics. It highlights the discipline's potential contributions to society, including understanding societal and economic aspects of cultural change, and offering solutions to global issues. The essay discusses the discipline's role in disaster relief, humanitarian operations, and the importance of a critical approach to governmental actions. It emphasizes the need for balancing real needs with self-criticism and rethinking funding models. The essay references key literature to support its arguments, providing a comprehensive overview of the discipline's challenges and potential impacts.

Running head: HUMANITARIAN AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
Humanitarian and Development Studies
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1HUMANITARIAN AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
Humanitarian and Development Studies refers to the program that deals with the
disaster relief and the humanitarian operations that are associated with it. According to
McWha-Hermann, Maynard and Berry (2015), it lays emphasis on the element of
rehabilitation that can help in providing relief to the people who have been struck with a
disaster. This essay discusses about the social problem that is confronting the Humanitarian
and Development Studies in the present age. The essay also throws light on how the
Humanitarian and Development Studies can make a contribution in the society.
The social problem that is confronting Humanitarian and Development Studies in the
recent age pertains to the lack of the initiative on the part of the government. It has been
argued by Nouvet et al. (2016), that the government does not reveal the true picture of the
disaster that poses difficulties for that of Humanitarian and Development Studies. The
humanitarian ideals are challenged in the society by the vociferous critics of the present age.
The social problem that is facing the discipline is that it needs the balancing of the real need
that should be self-critical that can help in the further retrenchment of that of humanitarian
space (Black, 2018) The studies have to face difficulty on account of the fact that they have
to be abide by certain principles that can help in offering protection to the social workers.
According to Mac Ginty and Williams (2016), the social problem that is being confronted by
the discipline relates to gap in the relief development that plays a role in obscuring the studies
in relation to the discipline.
The Humanitarian and Development Studies can make a contribution to the society. It
can prove to be useful in understanding the social and the economic aspects in relation to the
cultural change that can help in the development of the society. It can help in bringing out the
solutions to the societal problems that can help in the development of the world (Hilhorst,
Porter & Gordon, 2018). This discipline can help in solving the social problem as it can
make people conscious about the role that can be played by the government that can be

2HUMANITARIAN AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
instrumental in providing the humanitarian relief. It can help the government in the
development of a critical approach that can help them in taking measures that can help in
improving the overall condition of the society (Pieterse, 2016). It can help in rethinking
divide in between the humanitarian and the development funding that can be of benefit to the
society.
Humanitarian and Development Studies is indicative of program that helps in dealing
with the problem of disaster relief in the society. It talks about the humanitarian operations
that can prove to be useful in the case of a calamity. Social problem in relation to the
discipline arises on account of lack of direction of the government. The government does not
expose the real data that can help in revealing the magnitude of the disaster. The discipline
can make a significant contribution to the society by revealing the cultural changes that can
aid in growth of society.

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References
Black, R. (2018). Refugees, environment and development. Routledge.
Hilhorst, D., Porter, H., & Gordon, R. (2018). Gender, sexuality, and violence in
humanitarian crises. Disasters, 42, S3-S16.
Mac Ginty, R., & Williams, A. (2016). Conflict and development. Routledge.
McWha-Hermann, I., Maynard, D. C., & Berry, M. O. N. (Eds.). (2015). Humanitarian work
psychology and the global development agenda: Case studies and interventions.
Routledge.
Nouvet, E., Abu-Sada, C., de Laat, S., Wang, C., & Schwartz, L. (2016). Opportunities, limits
and challenges of perceptions studies for humanitarian contexts. Canadian Journal of
Development Studies/Revue canadienne d'études du développement, 37(3), 358-377.
Pieterse, J. N. (Ed.). (2016). World orders in the making: humanitarian intervention and
beyond. Springer.