THE VULNERABILITY CONTEXT:

A WORK IN PROGRESSSue Lautze

Angela Raven-RobertsFeinstein International Famine Center,

Tufts University

IS THERE SOMETHING

WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

FOUR POINTS, TEN MINUTES

1. AFFECTED PEOPLE DEPEND UPON LIVELIHOODS FOR FOOD SECURITY

2. COMPLEX EMERGENCIES ARE (USUALLY) CHARACTERIZED BY VIOLENCE

3. LIVELIHOODS TOOLS INADEQUATELY CAPTURE THE DYNAMICS & CONSEQUENCES OF VIOLENCE

4. TO PROMOTE FOOD SECURITY (POLICIES, FRAMEWORKS, INFO SYSTEMS, PROJECTS), THE IMPLICATIONS OF VIOLENCE MUST BE UNDERSTOOD & ADDRESSED

Q WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU CROSS AN ANTHROPOLOGIST WITH A POLITICAL ECONOMIST?

A PEOPLE WHO LOOK AT VIOLENCE AND ITS (VERY) FAR REACHING CONSEQUENCES – SOCIAL, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC

THE “VULNERABILITY CONTEXT” IS NOT EXTERNAL LIVELIHOODS SYSTEMS

1. LIVELIHOODS & FOOD SECURITY

FACT: PEOPLE RELY ON LIVELIHOOD SYSTEMS FOR FOOD SECURITY

2. CONTEXT OF CEs

• NO ADEQUATE/AGREEMENT ON DEFINITION OF CEs

• VIOLENCE CENTRAL TO ALL CEs

• VIOLENCE IS BOTH SPECIFIC AND FUNCTIONAL

• ANALYSIS OF VIOLENCE LIMITED (LARGELY) TO POLITICAL ECONOMY: COLLINSON, COLLIER, SLIM, DUFFIELD, ANDERSON, ETC.

FORM OF VIOLENCE

FUNCTION/SPECIFICITY

EXAMPLE

GENDER VIOLENCE

ATTACKS ON WOMEN AS ATTACKS ON THE NATIONALITY/THE “MOTHER NATION”; ETHNIC CLEANSING; EMASCULATING MALE STRENGTH

RWANDA; FORMER YUGOSLAVIA; MOZAMBIQUE; SIERRA LEONE

ASSASSINATION, CAR BOMBING

ATTACK ON HUMANITARIANS AS ATTACKS ON U.S.-LED POLITICO-MILITARY AGENDAS

AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ, SOMALIA

FORCED DISPLACEMENT, ASSET STRIPPING

ECONOMIC BENEFIT TO RAIDERS; DISEMPOWER, WEAKEN OPPOSITION

SUDAN; ANGOLA; SIERRA LEONE, LIBERIA

CHILD SOLDIERS; FORCE CHILDREN TO KILL

TERRORIZE, INCREASE FIGHTING FORCES, DESTABILIZE COMMUNITIES

MOZAMBIQUE, UGANDA, SIERRA LEONE, SRI LANKA

RUMOUR, RANDOM DISAPPEARANCES

SHRED SOCIAL FABRIC OF TRUST, UNDERMINE OPPOSITION

GUATEMALA, ARGETINA, COLUMBIA

3. FRAMEWORKS & VIOLENCE

• VIOLENCE IS EXPENSIVE FOR HOUSEHOLDS & IS HARD ON LIVELIHOODS SYSTEMS & FOOD SECURITY

• VIOLENCE SHAPES EACH AND EVERY ELEMENT OF LIVELIHOODS SYSTEMS

• BUT…THE “VULNERABILITY CONTEXT” DOESN’T ADEQUATELY CAPTURE THIS

VIOLENCE AND ASSETSHUMAN, SOCIAL, PHYSICAL, NATURAL,

FINANCIAL

VIOLENCE ERODES ASSETS – AND THREATENS FOOD SECURITY BY:

1.DIRECT DESTRUCTION2.TRANSFORMING ASSETS INTO

LIABILITIES3.INCREASING DEMAND FOR

LIMITED ASSETS

VIOLENCE INFLUENCE & ACCESS

VIOLENCE’S PRIMARY TOOL IS FEAR

FEAR RE-SHAPES “INFLUENCE & ACCESS” RELATIONSHIPS DISEMPOWERMENT

LE BILLON: POWERLESSNESS AS A MORE USEFUL CONCEPT THAN POVERTY

VIOLENCE, POLICIES, INSTITUTIONS &

PROCESSESVIOLENCE, (LIKE OTHER DRIVING FORCES OF DISASTERS – HIV/AIDS, MACROECONOMIC POLICY FAILURES), IS A PIP THAT:

•IS ENDOGENOUS, EMBEDDED IN LIVELIHOODS SYSTEMS

•CAN INDUCE CONSERVATISM, FUNDAMENTALISM AND WORSE

•CAN PROMOTE MILITARIZATION

•WARPS AND COMPETES (& WINS) AGAINST OTHER PIPS, INCLUDING THOSE TO PROMOTE FOOD SECURITY

VIOLENCE AND STRATEGIES

VIOLENCE, AS A PIP, SHAPES LIVELIHOODS STRATEGIES

• SOME NEW LIVELIHOODS STRATEGIES BECOME AVAILABLE, AND PROMOTE FOOD SECURITY (MILITIA, POPPY/CHAT, PROTECTION, CAMP SERVICES)

• BUT MOSTLY, LIVELIHOODS STRATEGIES ARE CONSTRAINED

VIOLENCE AND OUTCOMES

LIVELIHOODS IN CONTEXTS OF VIOLENCE OFTEN YIELD

•FOOD INSECURITY - MALNUTRITION, MORBIDITY, MORTALITY, DESTITUTION, DESPAIR, DISPLACEMENT

•RARELY, WILL PRODUCE POSITIVE OUTCOMES

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LIVELIHOODS FRAMEWORK