Sustainability and Social Justice

Date of Award

3-2018

Degree Type

Research Paper

Degree Name

Master of Arts in International Development and Social Change (IDSC)

Department

International Development, Community and Environment

Chief Instructor

Anita Fábos, Ph.D.

Second Reader

Cynthia Caron, Ph.D.

Keywords

Haiti, Corruption, Post-Disaster Response, NGO, Earthquake

Abstract

The 2010 earthquake in Haiti represents what Naomi Klein in The Shock Doctrine refers to as an event leading to the exploitation of disaster-shocked countries. With this idea in mind, this paper seeks to analyze the hidden setbacks of international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) and their counterproductive relationship with Haiti's unstable government in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake. The ways in which corruption operates within the Haitian government and international NGO structures pre-and post-neoliberalism, is an important factor in understanding this post-disaster relationship. Before neoliberalist ideologies expanded throughout the world, corruption in Haiti was evident under the Duvalier regime and Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Under neoliberalism, corruption continued within the Haitian government but also resulted in the rise of Western free-market policies as well as international NGOs. This, in turn, exacerbated the political, social, and economic instability of Haiti. Essentially, the argument of this paper is that the systemic corruption within the Haitian government resulted in a lack of regulation of international NGOs during their post-disaster response. This increased corruption and a lack of accountability within NGO’s resulted in a lack of progress in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.

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