THE APPEARANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY: Messaging services and feedback data in the Typhoon Haiyan response.
Mirca Madianou Goldsmiths, University of London
Humanitarian Technology refers to the use and application of technology to support “humanitarian technologies”? efforts at improving quality of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery and rebuilding… by disaster-prone and disaster-affected communities (World Disasters Report 2012: 20) The increased availability of mobile phones and widespread internet access are creating new ways for affected communities to organize, coordinate and respond to their own problems and for outside humanitarian actors to determine and respond to communities’ needs. More broadly, technology enables people-centred humanitarian action (World Disasters Report 2012: 24)
Whereas aid agencies once made assumptions about people’s needs in a crisis, people now have the tools to say what they need and want. [These developments] are defining a new age —a network age—for humanitarian assistance. (UN OCHA, Humanitarianism in a Network Age 2012: 13) “…not simply a technological shift [but] also a process of rapid decentralization of power” (Tim McNamara, Open Knowledge Foundation)
‘humanitarian technologies’ -‐ two logics: Humanitarian reform • Power asymmetries in humanitarian aid • Disrup:on of local socie:es / local solidari:es, new ‘dependencies’ • Involving ‘beneficiaries’ in relief will correct power asymmetries
Growth of sector – marke4za4on and demands for efficiency and audit • 2010: 274,000 humanitarian workers • 2012: 4,400 non-‐governmental organisa:ons globally with a budget of US$16 billion. • 2014: Global aid relief economy (es:mated): US$156 billion • Na:onal governments outsource aid – but expect evidence of impact
typhoon haiyan!
“most accountable” response to date?!
10 month multi-sited ethnography (April 14-January 15); including participant observation, online ethnography interviews with 101 affected people plus 38 expert stakeholders.
tacloban, leyte
sabay, visayas
accountability as feedback in Haiyan recovery! SMS hotline, suggestion boxes, community consultations, help desks, accountability notebooks
who participates?! Fewer than 10% of participants’ used agencies messaging feedback platforms
feedback in the Filipino context!
humanitarian intervention filtered through cultural / social norms of patronage !
(not) closing the feedback loop!
Accountability to Whom? “The cellphone has made things much, much easier. I guess it made things much more accountable within organizations because you can’t hide from sending reports. .. You have to be accountable to the head office.You know donors can demand a report every two months… We’re no longer relying on carrier pigeons. It has made us more accountable because we are now expected to provide updated information about the work that we are doing.” (Accountability officer, Haiyan response)
(digital) distortions! - Accountability is narrowly defined as feedback! - - Feedback captured through SMS more likely to be counted as feedback! ! - SMS feedback privileges certain types of feedback! - Convergence of mobile phones and software systems privileges audit instead of accountability ! -  ! - Digital platforms become the problem (rather than the solution)!
ordinary uses of technologies?