Study title

Nigeria, South Sudan

Group

Data and Displacement assesses the data-based humanitarian targeting of assistance to IDPs in two contexts that are characterised by conflict and high levels of displacement: north-eastern Nigeria and South Sudan. It examines the production and use of large-scale data in each case, focusing on the operational and ethical challenges that arise in the collection and use of IDP data. Research questionsAssessing the opportunities and risks of the “data revolution” for the targeting of humanitarian assistance in situations of conflict and displacement, the Data and Displacement project explores the production and use of humanitarian data, as well as the operational and ethical dimensions of data-based humanitarian protection and assistance. It asks:1. How do contextual factors shape the production of humanitarian data?2. How effective is the use of data-based targeting in the provision of humanitarian protection and assistance in practice?3. What operational challenges arise in the collation and use of large-scale data for humanitarian protection and assistance, and how can these be addressed?4. What ethical concerns emerge in the development of data-driven humanitarianism, and how can these be addressed?In addressing these questions, Data and Displacementemploys mixed methods, combining dataset analysisand visualisation techniques with a thematic analysis of 174 semi-structured qualitative interviews with a total of 182 interviewees. Qualitative interviews are particularly helpful in facilitating an in-depth contextual analysis, while visualisation techniques facilitate the active inclusion of IDPs within the research process. A purposive sampling technique was used to encapsulate the perspectives of a diverse range of practitioners, stakeholders, and IDPs (see below). While our sample of interviewees is not statistically representative and does not capture the full diversity of views and experiences in the field sites or the humanitarian sector, the range of views and experiences that we were able to capture, and the detailed qualitative analysis undertaken, provides valuable insights into the practical and ethical implications of data-driven humanitarianism for IDPs. As well as engaging international data experts, donors, and humanitarian practitioners from a range of governmental and non-governmental organisations, the project also engages regional stakeholders and local humanitarian practitioners in the assessment of data-driven processes of targeted assistance, while centring the perspectives of IDPs within the research design. Research tools and recruitmentDatafication of the humanitarian sectorThe analysis of the datafication of the humanitarian sector, examined in Section 3, is based on a series of 34 in-depth qualitative interviews with a total of 42 international data experts, donors, and humanitarian practitioners from a range of governmental and non-governmental organisations. Interviews were semi-structured and were undertaken online between April and July 2021. These lasted on average around one hour, with questions focused on the meaning of humanitarian data, the development of data-driven humanitarianism, and key ethical and operational issues arising including the potential for harm. Flexibility was maintained in the questioning to allow research participants to elaborate on areas of concern or raise new issues relevant to their experience and expertise. Participants were recruited using a purposive sample strategy to provide a range of perspectives across key agencies and sectors, and to ensure the inclusion of regional perspectives as well as international perspectives. Members of the research team recruited research participants directly